The Greatest Gift
by Nimara
Summary: Natsuki Kuga, a cold and ruthless young Lord, gets caught up in a priestess's curse. It is the present day and Private Investigator Fujino runs across Natsuki. Amidst crime and danger will Natsuki be able to break the curse and know love? ShizNat AU
1. What is Your Destiny?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations.

**Warnings:** None as of yet. You have your usual foul language, hence why it's only rated **T**. I don't doubt that I'll have to **raise **the rating but that'll be later on.

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**The Greatest Gift**

**Chapter 1:** What is Your Destiny?

Nimara

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_"Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other."_ --Carl Jung

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The ice barely crunched beneath the hunter's feet as it crouched behind a thorny bush, bow already in place. Everything was perfectly set. At the bottom of the slope the hunter waited on was a large herd of wild boar. Their grunts and squeals as they rested between the bamboo were calm and the hunter knew they had yet to detect any unusual scents or sounds. The hunter drew the arrow back as a very large boar came into view. It was easily twice the size of any of the others around it. A definite trophy. It's tusks alone would be a magnificent enough to adorn the walls of the Lord's palace.

The hunter breathed in shallow breathes and tracked the boar at the end of the arrow tip. There was only one opportunity to get it right. Even if the hunter managed to hit the vitals, it would stir up the herd and they could possibly rampage. It was unlikely that the boars would stampede in the uphill direction of the hunter but if they did there was very little room for escape. Danger and thrill was what the hunter thrived off of though. To take the life of something so strong and dangerous was rather empowering.

The hunter inhaled deeply and pulled the arrow back to its full length. The sound of the bow going taught caused the boar's ears to prick in alert, but it was too late. The arrow was released with a 'twang' and it sailed past the other creatures and lodged itself right beneath the boar's ear. The herd was already on the move before the mighty creature released an angered wail. The hunter quickly placed another arrow on the bow when the boar began to move. It had more fight in it than expected. The arrow was released again and hit the neck, but the boar took off with the others.

The hunter cursed and slid down the slope and after the boar who went in an opposite direction of its herd. The boar did not make it far before it began to stumble and fall to its front knees. It's dying cries echoed through the bamboo forest and the hunter withdrew a short blade as she closed in on the prey. The boar thrashed on the floor, but the hunter leaped onto it and swiftly slit its throat. Blood splattered across the snowy ground. The hunter waited as the cries died, inspecting the body of the animal. Standing, it would have came above the hunter's waist and it was at least three times the size of the hunter in weight.

"I can't imagine the Boar God being very pleased about this," tittered a feminine voice from behind the hunter. The hunter turned slowly, bloody blade still in hand. A woman stood between the bamboo trees. Her garb was cut in the likeness of a priestess's but instead of the traditional colors, her robes were black and gray. Her hair was short and the color of autumn leaves. Such a color was out of place amidst the snow and greenery. The priestess walked closer and the hunter noticed that her feet were bare. The woman bowed before the slain boar and offered a quick prayer.

"Messenger of the Boar God, rest for now. Come and join us again when you are done sleeping."

It was an unusual prayer but many things were quickly becoming unusual about this priestess in the winter forest. The woman turned to the hunter with a small smile. The hunter placed the blade back on the belt and tilted its round straw hat upwards revealing delicate features and plump lips.

"And it seems as if I'm graced by the presence of a daughter of Lord Kuga, from the Minamoto Clan. Not just any daughter it seems, but the one that Kuga claims to be his son because he has yet to bear one. A dead daughter. I can see why you are no longer allowed to be seen in public. You hardly look like a round little boy anymore."

The hunter removed her straw hat showing indeed she was a woman with long dark hair that was tied up in a tight bun. Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know these things?"

"I know a lot of things, Natsuki." Natsuki flinched at the sound of her name. She had not heard her name in many months aloud. Hideki was the name she had taken after her brother's death.

The priestess inspected the boar as well before smiling. "My, he was quite large. I guess any stupid hunter would go after such a creature."

_Stupid hunter_. Natsuki fumed but held her tongue. All she wanted to do was get out of the cold with her prize and back her father's house. The priestess was all smiles when she turned to the Lord's daughter.

"So, you may be stupid enough to kill the Boar God's messenger, but I believe you're smart enough to accompany me to my place of residence. I would like company on my last night alive."

It was definitely not a suggestion. The nameless priestess began to walk into the bamboo forest and Natsuki only had a few moments to rope up her prey before she lost sight of the woman. Natsuki puzzled over who this woman could be as she dragged her boar with her. No, this was no regular human or priestess. That much she knew. This woman walked barefoot across snow, knew secret details of her family, and believed that the slain boar was an animal messenger. Natsuki knew she was already in trouble if she had indeed killed a servant of a God. It was probably in her best interest to follow the mysterious woman without qualm.

They came to a wooden hut lined with furs. The temperature was dropping rapidly and the night would come soon. Readjusting her bow over her shoulder she dropped the rope that was attached to the boar. She looked at it and looked around for somewhere to safely deposit it. The meat would stay for quite a while in the freezing cold but she was wary of scavengers. It was, after all, her trophy.

"Nothing will touch that boar, come inside please." The priestess held the heavy fur door open and waited for Natsuki. She shrugged with a soft "If you say so" and went inside the small hut. The priestess lit the fire to the hearth and placed on a pot of water. Natsuki took a seat near the door and waited quietly. There was a meowing sound and a fat black cat with beads around its neck squeezed its way past the fur door. In its mouth it carried a sack. Natsuki was not sure what it was at first because she had yet to see cats in her life. She had seen paintings of course but this cat was much fatter than those in the paintings.

The priestess placed herbs into the pot and laughed when the cat came in. She grabbed the sack from the cat.

"This is Mikoto. And it looks like she brought us dinner. Mikoto is...hm. We'll talk about that later." The priestess opened the small bag to reveal handfuls of meat which she placed into the boiling water. Natsuki watched as the woman settled herself on the ground across from Natsuki and the cat leap into her arms.

Natsuki fidgeted and tried not to narrow her eyes as she looked suspiciously at the woman, "Who are you, priestess?"

"My name is Mai. You can call me Mai-chan if you want."

"Mai-san." Natsuki nodded. Her answer did not reveal anything. Natsuki tried again. "Do you have a family name?"

"No, I'm known as Mai."

"You're not a priestess, are you, Mai-san?" Natsuki inquired carefully.

"You're eighteen winters right, Natsuki? You're known to be sixteen though. Who's bright idea was that?"

Natsuki did not like her question dodged. "I had a brother who was born two years after I was. His birth was announced but he died a year later. Much pressure is placed on my father by the other Lords if he does not have a son. Not to mention, after seven daughters, rumors were beginning to spread that he was cursed. Instead of informing everyone of his son's death, he informed them that his son was ill and frail. My death was arranged and I took the identity of my dead brother."

There was no remorse, anger, or regret in her expression but her voice was filled with emotion. She had given more information than Mai thought she would give. This was probably the first time Natsuki got to say anything about the matter.

Mai tugged at one of Mikoto's ears. "Well, see? We missed something! There was actually a baby boy born. Must have been while we were traveling, neh Mikoto?"

Natsuki could have sworn the cat nodded. She tried to keep her wits about her, but she was afraid that this was going to be too much for her. How many tales had she heard of passing priestesses, witches, or demi-gods bestowing curses upon travelers and those who have wandered too far away?

Natsuki placed her hands on her crossed legs. "I should really get going, Mai-san."

Mai winked and wagged her finger. "It would probably be in your best interest to stay. Like I said, I would like someone to keep me company on my last night."

"Last night?"

"You'll have your questions answered in due time. Let's chit chat first! It's been a while since I've had another girl to talk with. I'm really curious about you!" said Mai while she stirred the pot of simmering meat.

The fact that this Mai-person even knew Natsuki existed was unnerving to the Kuga heir. Natsuki untied her hat from her neck and put it at her side, "And I you, Mai-san. How about we alternate questions?"

If this woman was a witch then giving her more information only made her more powerful. Natsuki would not be left at a disadvantage. She wanted to know more about this woman so she could determine her motive and why she was keeping her there. Mai rubbed Mikoto's stomach. "Okay, that sounds fair. So, Natsuki, what happens if none of your father's mistresses give birth to a son? In just a few years, the other Lords will be demanding to see you. How will you reveal yourself then? You don't look like the type that would want to be married off to other nobles like your sisters were."

Natsuki crossed her arms. "Like all nobility, each individual in the Kuga family is raised to have all the necessary tools to rule. I was raised in my brother's place and not only do I have what it takes to rule but to dominate. When the time comes it will be revealed that I am a woman and I can take the place of my father. If need be, I will take a husband but I will maintain power over these lands by my own hands. If any one wishes to challenge me, including my sisters, they will fail."

Mai looked into Natsuki's eyes to see the cold fire that burned there. Her words left no room for questioning her desire to take over her father's land. Mai's cheery smile softened and she nodded, understanding. Women holding large amounts of inherited land was not common but it was not unheard of. Many women were quickly rising in power and strength. Though there had yet to be a woman who ruled lands as vast and powerful as those Lord Kuga possessed. Could Natsuki do it? Mai did not doubt it in her mind. Natsuki was already raised as a young Lord and there was virtually nothing in her way to stop her.

"And if a boy was to be born?" Natsuki looked ready to answer that with gusto but stopped herself and said, "My turn, Mai-san."

Mai laughed. "Of course, my apologies."

"Did I really kill a messenger of the Boar God?" Natsuki's look of defiance and certainty melted into a sheepish grin. She may be powerful and determined but she was not above being afraid of divine retribution.

"You did. His time had come though, just as mine and yours will. You must have been scared when I said that," teased Mai. Natsuki was slightly relieved at hearing this answer. Perhaps she would be spared from the wrath of the Gods.

"Of course I was fearful. I was brought up properly. A man must have divine favor to rule successfully. Turning his back on the Gods will cause a curse to fall upon him. He will lose all his land and power. Though his fate lies with the all-powerful it also lies in his own hands."

"Well said! Now back to my previous question. What if a boy was born in the Kuga family?" The fat cat's beads jingled as it snuggled deeper into Mai's robes.

"It hardly matters anymore. I am the heir to these lands. One of my father's women is pregnant. What if it turns to be a boy? He still has many years to go before he can come close to being fit. By then I would have already taken my father's seat. I will not lose it to anyone. No boy born into my household is a brother of mine. My brother already died and gifted me with this opportunity."

"Do you believe it's your destiny?" Mai questioned and both let the rules slip.

"Yes."

"What if it's not?"

"For sixteen years I grew up believing it is my destiny. I cannot be anything else. I am a Lord. I am a ruler. I will be a conqueror."

Mai hummed softly and grabbed at three bowls that sat near the fire. Natsuki watched her carefully. The woman spooned out three portions of broth and meat. Natsuki studied her face and clothing. She was young looking, maybe even as young as Natsuki. Taking her meal across the hearth she moved on to her next question, "How old are you?"

Mai placed a bowl on the ground and the cat pounced to it. Natsuki was going to warn Mai that the soup was hot and the cat would burn its tongue but the cat waited patiently next to the bowl. Mai silently went into prayer before her bowl and Natsuki bowed her head in silence as well. Priestesses prayed before meals, witches did not. Natsuki mentally crossed off 'witch' on her list of what this Mai-person could possibly be.

"I'm two years older than you," Mai said after she finished her prayer. Natsuki dipped her spoon into the bowl, suddenly much hungrier than she thought she was. All was silent save for the crackling fire and light sipping.

"This is good…! What's meat is in it?" Natsuki said. The broth was thick and the spices were ones that Natsuki had never tasted before. The meat was a nice treat as well. Even though she was a noble, red meat was not apart of her diet very often, especially in the winter.

Mai seemed pleased with herself. "Well, the herbs I've used are my own secret. I gathered them in the mountains. You would be surprised to know what delicious new flavors you can find between weeds. Let me ask Mikoto what meat she brought."

Mai looked over at the cat that had begun to lap at the juices. The cat turned its fat head and meowed. Natsuki's mouth was left open in bewilderment. Mai giggled and then nodded at her cat.

"Thank you, Mikoto." She turned to Natsuki. "We have a great treat today! She was able to get red deer. She says it's something nice to have for my last night."

Natsuki paled. "Heh…heh…" She looked down at her bowl then pointed at the cat. Mikoto looked back at her and meowed. The young Lord gulped before looking back at Mai. "You _talk_ to the cat? I mean…I mean…it speaks to _you_? It's just a cat-…"

"Goddess. Cat Goddess," interrupted Mai. Mai reached out to pet Mikoto fondly. "She's kept me company for many years."

For a while Natsuki sat and did not say anything. The three went back to eating but Natsuki never tore her eyes away from Mikoto. Her disbelief had rendered her silent. Once she finished her meal she placed the bowl down and continued to stare at the two.

The woman, named Mai, was crazy.

Or…Natsuki was dreaming.

Natsuki stood up quickly while laughing. Mai did not seem surprised by this action and continued to eat. Natsuki placed her hands on her hips and declared, "I'm dreaming!"

"You're not," Mai said serenely. Natsuki made her way to the door at the same time Mikoto, the Cat Goddess, meowed. The furs rustled and in walked a large animal. A wolf. Natsuki yelled and backed away from the door.

"Well that was unexpected!" Mai laughed and nodded at the wolf who paced in and sat beside her. It was the largest wolf Natsuki had ever seen. It was unlike any wolf she had ever seen, really. It had a heavy built and it was gray, almost...silver. The wolf's fur was long instead of short and patchy like most wolves she had seen. It sat on its haunches but towered two heads over the priestess. It stared at Natsuki with its piercing golden eyes. Natsuki tried to calm herself, her instincts kicking in to kill such a beast. It was truly magnificent.

But no, Natsuki had learned her lesson today. 'Magnificent' creatures ended up being creatures protected by the divine or divine themselves. The wolf snorted and showed its fangs in some weird attempt at a grin. Had it heard her? Had it read her mind? Perhaps it was a good time to offer up a prayer to the Gods for her own protection.

Mai tilted her hand at the wolf. "This is Hiroto Okami, the powerful Wolf God of the Mountains. He's here to assist me in my journey tonight. I told him he should find a better form to take, like a regular wolf, but he likes to show off. Hiroto-sama, this is Natsuki Kuga. She's the daughter of the Kuga family. She has taken on the identity of her deceased brother and is the heir to the Kuga lands."

The wolf growled lowly, but not threateningly, back. Mai pouted lightly. "I just wanted to talk to someone before I had to finish up my work here. She's been really nice. She's very interesting!"

Mai turned back to Natsuki and winked again. "Hiroto-sama says he's pleased to meet you. He says your hunting skills are excellent and your aim is admirable."

Natsuki prostrated herself quickly in respect. "I do not deserve such praise, Okami-sama. I made a grave mistake in killing the boar."

There was a deep rumble that resembled something like a laugh. A male voice began to speak, "Mistake, yes. That brute deserved it though. It's very refreshing to know he's not in the forest for now. Always a thorn in my side- that boar and his God."

Natsuki tried not to look shocked as she sat back up. The voice had several layers to it which was something completely unheard of. The mouth of the Wolf God moved as he continued to speak, "If those protected by celestial did not taste stale, I would have ate his innards for the fun of it. Hah...hah...hah..."

His laugh sounded like deep barks and a human's laugh at the same time. Natsuki did not find the comment as funny and neither did Mai.

"He's not as bad as you say he is, Hiroto-sama. He's quite funny when he wishes to talk."

The Wolf God snorted, "You are not going to be a kind and sympathetic Goddess, are you?"

"I strive to see the good in every creature because the bad is too easy to see."

Natsuki laughed this time but not because of what Mai had said. She brought a hand up to her forehead then pointed knowingly at Mai, "Okay, honestly, I must be dreaming. I have three Gods in front of me and I have not died yet or achieved enlightenment myself."

Mai brought a finger to her cheek. "Two Gods. I'm not a Goddess just yet."

"I am more worried as to what we will do with this human. Mai-dono, you get ahead of yourself sometimes," said the Wolf God.

Natsuki, fearing for her life, hastily said, "How about I just go home tomorrow morning? I'm sure you have the power to place me back near my father's house and even change my memory. And if you cannot, how about I just pledge not to say anything about this occurrence? Who would believe me anyways? Cat Goddess, Wolf God, and a priestess who might be a Goddess."

"Don't worry, Natsuki. I'm sure you wouldn't present much trouble to us. Hiroto-sama should not be scaring you like this," she said as she glared at the Wolf God. "You've been really nice to talk with. Thank you for your time."

The huntress shakily bowed her head. "It's been my pleasure."

Mikoto, the Cat Goddess, meowed several times as she jumped back into Mai's arms. Mai and the Wolf God seemed to be paying close attention to her. After some time Mai pet her companion.

"Mikoto has an excellent question! She wants to know if you have special person."

Natsuki looked confused. "A special person?"

"Someone you love and would possibly die for. Someone who means more than anything to you," Mai said and then Mikoto meowed again. "She says it can be someone you simply like as well."

Natsuki furrowed her brows. "No. I do not."

"Oh?"

"I do not have a 'special person'. Those feelings are useless to me. Those feelings dumb the senses and the mind. I do not think such a thing as love exists between humans. It's supposed to be an unhindered and steady devotion to someone. I have yet to see such an emotion or feel it."

Mai kept a soft smile on her face. "Will you ever have a special person?"

"No," came Natsuki's quick and certain answer. "To have someone I would do anything for is a huge liability. We've all heard the story of the harlot who convinced her Lord to not go to the battlefield. His army was crushed because no one was there to lead them. With his army devastated, his lands were lost. I have one objective in my life. That is to take over the Kuga lands and rule, like I was raised. My father is always distracted by women and 'love'. Rabble roams his lands and the peasants have become lazy. I can see why the other Lords are at our doorsteps, ready to strike at the most opportune moment. I will rule with an iron-fist. No one will question the prosperity and power that my family holds."

"She is truthful in her words. Her emotions run deep into her heart and mind," said the Wolf God.

Mai nodded. "Well it looks like my time has come to an end here. You've been very entertaining, Natsuki Kuga. I wish to bestow a gift on you."

Natsuki tilted her head. "I have done nothing to deserve a gift from yo-..."

"How about the gift of longevity?"

"Longevity?" Natsuki stammered.

"Yes, not immortality, of course, but longevity. To be resilient against the change of time, aging, and danger. It's something very important for someone who wishes to rule right? You can be a truly amazing individual, Natsuki. I think it will take you longer than one lifetime to achieve your greatness though."

"Longer...than one lifetime..." Natsuki's mind spun. To live longer than any human was a huge gift and it would make her the most powerful human on earth. It was the power over age and time. Who besides the Gods had that type of power? Not even the Emperor could live beyond his natural lifespan.

"Do you accept my gift?"

"Yes." Natsuki said eagerly. Nothing could slow her racing heart. She would be the most powerful human. Power!

Mai clapped her hands together and Natsuki felt a ripple of heat run down her spine. "Then it is done! I do have a better gift to give you though. It's possibly the greatest gift anyone could give you."

Natsuki flushed and placed up her hands. "The blessing you have bestowed on me is enough, Mai-sama. I could not ask anything else of you."

Mai shook her head and frowned. "I think this gift is very important. It is what will make you an extraordinary individual. Please accept it from me."

Who was she to refuse a Goddess's gift? Had Natsuki been any wiser, she may have reflected on the matter at hand but she was young. The young were reckless. Natsuki accepted the gift, still awed that she possessed longevity. The priestess fell into a chant.

First came the heat down her back, but then came an intense tingling sensation. The feeling moved throughout her body and intensified. Slowly it became painful. Then a sharp sensation hit her heart and she doubled over. Natsuki yelled as her stomach felt the same sharp pain. She rolled on the floor as the pain hit her spine, then her neck, and then her skull. From her position on the floor she looked up and over the hearth.

Mai had stopped chanting but the pain had not stopped. In place of the Cat Goddess next to Mai was young girl with messy black hair. And where the Wolf God had once been, sat a large man with short silver hair and honey-colored eyes. Natsuki's vision faded in and out as she howled out in pain. She cried out in a voice that was not her own. The howl was real, like a dog's. Her whimpers were high pitched whines. She lifted her head again but it dropped back heavily onto the ground.

As she slipped into darkness she heard the Wolf God speak, "I think I like this look on her better."

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"Wakie, wakie, puppy..."

Natsuki opened her eyes slowly to stare at the ceiling. It had been a dream. A crazy little dream. She yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. A black furry paw came into her line of vision. Then another...

Natsuki yelled and tried to sit up, but could not. She yelled again as she tipped to her side. She could not hear her own yelling though. Instead some damn dog was barking loudly.

_'Oh Gods, please no...'_

Natsuki looked down her body to see black furry arms, paws, a furry body, more legs, and...a tail?! Natsuki barked and barked as she jumped up. She tried to run but tripped over herself. She did not use her front paws to walk on the ground. Instead she felt face-flat onto the floor. Muzzle-flat, to be precise. She crossed her eyes as she looked down her face to see a nose at the end of a long muzzle. She barked and whimpered as she crawled on the floor.

She had been cursed. Cursed! She was a dog! She knew it!

"Would you like a mirror?"

Natsuki was on all fours in a second and looked behind her. Mai stood with an old wooden mirror in her hand. Instead of her black and gray priestess robes she wore a white kimono. She knelt down and placed the mirror in front of her. Natsuki took one careful step at a time until she could see her entire figure in the glass.

Her coat was black and long. She looked much like the the Wolf God. The wolves from the mountains were scrawny and thin boned, looking more like large foxes. Her bones were heavier and her form as filled out. Her muzzle was also thick instead of pointy like a true mountain wolf's. Both her ears were flattened against her skull in despair.

She started to bark and whine again. There was the heavy fluttering of the door than a deep voice.

"Stop making that racket. You can speak, if you try. Just not like how you used to."

She turned her head to see the Wolf God come into the hut. She silenced herself and from a distance measured herself up against him. He was still a large wolf from her point of view but she was quite large as well from what she could tell. She sat and opened her mouth to try and speak. Slowly she thought of the words she wanted to form and pushed them out.

"What...did...you...do...to...me?" It came out as growls and barks but she knew she had said it.

Hiroto Okami sat in front of her and tilted his head with a lop-sided grin. "Give it a few more minutes and you'll feel more natural in this skin."

"What did you do to me?!" Natsuki demanded, getting more furious.

The Wolf God growled back, "We gave you a gift."

Mai came around to face her, the cat nowhere to be seen. "The greatest gift I could have given you is the capacity to love."

She looked apologetic, but Natsuki did not care. "To love?! Did I not explain how useless that is for me? What have you done?!"

"Every once in a while a child is born into this world that cannot love. This is you. The only thing you loved was power. I like you, so I wanted to give you this gift. Not only did I save you from a horrible fate, but I saved those around you. You would have brought about nothing but destruction."

Natsuki snorted and shook her head hard. "Why am I a dog then?!"

The large wolf chuckled. "You're not a dog. You're a wolf, stupid child. Wolves are known to be great judges of character. Mai-dono thought it would do you good to be imbued with this."

"I want to change back. How can I change back? I want to go home!"

Mai sighed. "You can't. You can't go home and you can't change back. Well, not until you fulfill the necessary requirements to change back. You may return to your human form once you find someone to love. Until then you will be gifted with longevity. Mind you...you can die before you fulfill this gift."

"I can die...in this form?"

"Yes, but I trust that you'll find someone to love. Natsuki, you have to realize that love is something very important. It is not a weak emotion. The world is founded on love."

"Couldn't you just have told me that? Now, now I have to go around as a freak! What happened to my destiny? What happened to ruling my father's lands? This is a fate worse than death! Change me back!"

Mai crossed her arms. "I cannot change you back! What is done is done! Not many people get this chance that I've given you."

Natsuki growled angrily and pounced at Mai with her fangs ready. She would kill that priestess and that damn Wolf God if she could. How dare they change her life like this! She yelped as she fell through Mai's figure. She turned around and tried again but she ended up hitting the floor. Mai smiled.

"I died last night. You can hardly do anything to me anymore. You can try Hiroto-sama if you want. I'm not sure it will end well for you though."

Natsuki barked and growled. "I will find a way to get rid of this curse! There has to be someone in Japan that will help me!"

Natsuki dashed past the two and out of the hut. She tore through the snow, her paws hitting the floor naturally. She ran and ran faster than she ever could as a human. She ripped through the forest, painful howls rising from her throat.

In her mind she heard Mai's soft voice, "_There is only one way. When you are ready, Hiroto-sama and I will be here to help you in what you need. This is your destiny. You cannot run from it._"

Natsuki cried out and kept running. She would run up and down Japan several times before she would regain her senses. It would be many years before she would accept her fate. It would be even longer before she would realize the meaning of what took place that night.

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**A/N:** Hello again! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my newest story! This chapter is somewhat like a prologue.

Yes, Natsuki did get turned into a doggy.

The chapter takes place around 1000 CE (AD) if historical accuracy makes any sense. This is in the Late Heian Period in Japan which is before the Feudal Era and at the beginning of the rise of Samurais. This also means the next chapter (in the present) takes place 1000 years after this chapter.

Shizuru appears next chapter! As well as the rest of the plot. XD

Thanks to my great **BETAs ****Graceful Amethyst** and **Lahren**. Much love for them!

So please review and tell me whatya think about it! The next chapter will be out in two weeks. '_Three Wishes Or You_' is shorter than this fic so it'll have priority until it ends.

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**Chapter Two Sneak Peaks:**

On the outside of the door, a brass plate read: 'Private Investigator Fujino'. Shizuru could hear Yukino call in the guest. Turning her attention back to her desk she pulled out two files from her drawer and opened up the case file on the computer.

Haruka looked pleased with herself. "It's confirmed that Nagi Homura will be at a dogfighting tournament in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture."

"Is Black Demon the champion dog?"  
"Seven years running. I tell ya, Tsuji-san, that's a darn long time for any dog to be fightin' and winnin'. His handler, Yosuke Michin, came across the dog in Nara. He'll tell ya some pretty amazing stories on how he captured the beast. "

"I heard Michin-san has been calling for PBB."  
"PBB?"  
"Pentobarbital. Injectable anesthesia and we use it in large amounts to put a dog to sleep."

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Enjoy your week! Thanks for your amazing support!

**-Nimara**


	2. A Thousand Years Fighting

Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations.

**Warnings:** **Aggressive**-style dogfighting. A view from someone who is scared, feels hopeless, and no longer has the will to live. The chapter is not very intense but if you shy away from deep emotions then this is not the fic for you. Also the **language **usage has been bumped up so this is now rated **M**.

**A/N:** Besides honorifics and a few other words, everything will be translated! :D I don't like filling my story with Japanese words and then having to explain it's definition later. This includes money as well. It will always be written in US dollar value.

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**The Greatest Gift**

**Chapter 2**: A Thousand Years of Fighting

Nimara

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"_Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent." _-Marilyn vos Savant

* * *

"Shizuru, I have a young woman here that would like to speak to you."

Yukino closed the door behind her as she entered the small, dark office. Shizuru was behind her desk, overlooking the files in front of her. It was already late afternoon and she had yet to leave her seat since she came in that morning.

"Really? About what?" Shizuru asked softly as she continued to read over her papers. Yukino went behind her and turned the shades to the window. She kept them tilted for privacy but the room had still become much brighter.

"Thank you," Shizuru said while pulling off her glasses and leaning back with a sigh.

Yukino went back near the door. "You shouldn't work in dim light, Shizuru." She touched her own glasses with a frown. "The young woman stated that she has information regarding case of the runaway high schoolers. It has more to do with the girl who went missing yesterday."

That caught Shizuru's attention. She began to stack up the papers on her desk, nodding. "This is interesting. Send her in, right away."

Yukino made a move to leave the office but Shizuru remembered something. "Oh Yukino, did Haruka get any confirmation about tomorrow?"

Yukino nodded. "Yes, she did. She's heading back here right now. We'll go over the details after you are finished talking with the young woman."

"Thank you." Shizuru smiled as Yukino opened the door to leave. On the outside of the door, a brass plate read: 'Private Investigator Fujino'. Shizuru could hear Yukino call in the guest. Turning her attention back to her desk she pulled out two files from her drawer and opened up the case file on the computer.

The case of the runaway high schoolers had no fancy file name or catchy moniker. 'Runaway High Schoolers' was straight and to the point, just how Shizuru liked it. The case dealt with four girls from different Tokyo high schools who disappeared over the last six months. The latest disappearance occurred yesterday morning. Tokyo police discontinued ongoing investigation for several reasons. First, they were of legal age to drop out of school and move out. Secondly, some or most of their clothing had been packed up and taken with them. Lastly, none of their parents filed a missing persons report. Their parents were also not the type to demand a search to be done. Besides their age and their apparent 'willingness' to runaway they also lived in similar circumstances. Each girl had a family that was outright neglectful and uncaring, possibly abusive. All the signs pointed to that the girls were fed up and had merely decided to strike out on their own. The Tokyo police could do nothing since they were all of age and could legally drop out of high school.

Tokyo Chief, Takeda Masashi, thought otherwise. Though the case had been closed, Takeda had reason to believe that it involved more than just girls running away from home. From there he enlisted the aid of Private Investigator Shizuru Fujino, a colleague and friend. Shizuru, along with her small-time Investigative firm, took on the case and promised to look out for anything unusual in the months to come. There was not much Shizuru could do at the time if no one volunteered information. Though she went to the schools and questioned the missing girls' peers, none of the students had any information to give. There was no evidence that suggested these girls were forcibly taken or went missing unwillingly but even Shizuru found the circumstances of the girls too coincidental.

Shizuru opened the computer file of Aoi Senou. She was a third year student attending Tokyo Hibiya High School. She turned eighteen on March thirteenth. She was a good student in school and was very social with her classmates. Her family consisted of one mother, one father and no siblings. Her mother worked at a night bar and is witnessed, by the neighbors, to always bring men home. Her father drunk himself into liver failure as well as trouble. The report said that, one year ago, her father staggered drunkenly into the street and was hit by a car. Ever since he has been under coma. Recently his liver gave out and he is in need of a transplant but no one has placed forth money for one. Her family fit the profile neglectful family that the other girls had but Aoi Senou did not. After reviewing the information, yesterday, when Aoi went missing, Shizuru concluded that she was not the type of girl to run away. The Tokyo police would be on the look out for her for the next forty-eight hours but other than that, the case went to Shizuru. Aoi seemed like a happy teenager, unlike the other girls that disappeared.

And apparently, Aoi Senou had a friend who cared enough to come down to Shizuru's office.

A girl with shoulder-length black hair and glasses stepped in and closed the door behind her. She did not seem nervous or unsure, like some people who visited Shizuru. In her hand she held her book bag and she was dressed still in her black and red school uniform. Shizuru stood to greet her but was moved by her determined mahogany eyes.

Chie bowed and Shizuru offered her a seat at the opposite side of Shizuru's desk.

"My name is Chie Harada," she said as the both of them took a seat.

Shizuru smiled kindly at the young girl, "I heard you have information regarding Aoi Senou's disappearance?"

Chie ran her hand through the front of her hair and her determined looked became tinged with sadness. She clenched her fist in front of her. "Aoi was kidnapped."

Well, now that was something new to hear. Shizuru leaned closer. "Continue."

"I went to the Police and the Chief there said I should come and see you. Aoi is my dearest friend and I know for a fact she would not leave without telling me. All our classmates have heard about those girls that have gone missing...ran away. To me they all sounded like girls who practiced in...loose morals. Aoi is not like that!"

Shizuru could see the fear and worry in the young woman's eyes. "Tell me about Senou-san, please. I want to do everything I can to locate her if she has been kidnapped."

"Aoi is very cheerful all the time even when she really has no reason to be. Her mom is a drunkard and her line of works involves her with men often. Her home was not very forgiving but she was still happy. She would never run away from there. I have always been there for her." Her voice softened out and a blush met her cheeks from a mixture of anger and fondness. "Aoi was acting strangely last week. She avoided me at all costs but the night before she went missing, she and I hung out near her place. We just did the things we normally do such as snacking and gossiping. At the end of the night she told me she found a way to get the money for her dad's liver transplant. I asked her what it was and she said she was going to take up another job offered to her by a benefactor. I asked her what the job was but she wouldn't answer me and went home. I let it go cause I knew she would tell me eventually. If I knew she wasn't going to show up the next day, I would have forced her to tell me!"

Shizuru could see tear drops form behind the girl's glasses. She could tell Chie was frustrated and worried. She was now looking down at her lap and her bookbag. Shizuru looked at the photo of the girl on her computer and pictured her right next to Chie. She could see that they would have made good friends. Shizuru could tell Chie was trying to regain some of her composure as she opened her bag. The high schooler took out a small plastic bag of photos. Chie took a deep a breath and handed the bag to Shizuru.

"I had some spare photos of her. The photo the school gave the Police is a bit outdated since she cut her hair recently. I couldn't find any of just her, since we usually take pictures together."

Shizuru gave Chie the opportunity to recooperate as she opened the bag and took out the photos. There were four photos inside of various sizes. All were of the both of them happily posing. Shizuru smiled to herself as she looked through them. Aoi Senou's bright smile and happy blue eyes definitely said that she was happy, at least with Chie. Shizuru knew the looks Aoi wore could not be easily faked. Each picture was so lively, so filled with emotion, and with love. By time she looked up from the pictures, Chie had regained a cool demeanor.

"Thank you for the information, Harada-san. I want you to know that this case is at the top of my list. I'm going to find Senou-san and figure out what's going on behind this."

Chie snorted lightly. "I think I know who took her."

Shizuru could barely hide her shocked look. "You do?"

"A few weeks ago I was approached by two gentlemen who said they knew a bit about me and wanted to know if I wanted a _life style_ change. They said they could turn my whole world around. They knew I had no mother or father and I lived alone. They also knew I had just turned eighteen. I refused because I didn't like the sound of things. They gave me a number though to call if I wanted to change my mind. It did not strike me as odd at the time or as a connection to the other missing girls. You get a lot of pervy guys wanting girls to work at bad places. It was not until yesterday that I realized that these guys may have been different." Chie drew out a piece of crumpled paper from her pocket and placed it on Shizuru's desk. On it was a telephone number.

Chie stood, signaling she was done with the discussion. She ran her hand through the front of her hair again with a sad look. "I'll leave it to you then, Investigator Fujino-san."

Shizuru stood as well and came to the front of her desk. Something was off about the young woman before her. She jumped on her instincts and approached Chie. Shizuru placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled. "You can call me Shizuru. Chie-san, don't do anything reckless okay? Aoi will be back with you soon. I'm going to run that number, get all the information on it, and find her."

Chie nodded and smiled back softly. Shizuru led her to the door and she watched her leave down the short hall. Shizuru went back to her desk and sighed, looking down at the photos. There were still too many loose ends to conclude anything. It could possibly be that the phone number had no connection to Aoi. It could also be possible that Aoi had no connection to the other three run away high schoolers. Shizuru looked at the photos and chuckled. She would bet her favorite car that Chie Harada had deeper feelings for Aoi than she stated. It was amazing how much photos could tell someone about the relationship between two people. Those two could not look any happier than in those pictures together.

Shizuru was certain they would find her. Her investigation group was small but powerful. Her private firm was part of a corporate building on the second floor. It had a small reception area and a couple of offices and storage rooms. So far her only employees were Yukino Kikukawa and Haruka Suzushiro. All three of them were eligible for private investigations but Shizuru took on most of the work. Yukino was the information techie behind the program. Her intelligence gathering skills were second to none. Haruka had a different type of information gathering technique. Her use of brute force and intimidation was quite useful to Shizuru. Shizuru paid them both for their time and they were allowed to keep whatever they gained from side investigations. Shizuru had plenty of chances to expand her firm but she was content with the amazing forces she already had by her side.

After some time, Yukino opened the door and walked in with Haruka Suzushiro at her heels. Yukino closed the door behind them. Haruka stood with her hands on her hips, looking very contrasting in her thick black jacket and jeans next to the skirt suit Yukino wore.

"I hope you don't mind but I closed the office just now," Yukino said.

"It's fine. Thank you, Yukino." Shizuru turned to Haruka. "So any more information?"

Haruka looked pleased with herself. "It's confirmed that Nagi Homura will be at a dogfighting tournament in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture. It's about an hour from here. It's a really large and exclusive event with champion dogs from all regions. A lot of seedy dealings will be taking place there including one with Nagi Homura. It's harder than you think to get in but I managed to slip your name by. They work on a don't-ask-don't-tell basis. It took two thousand dollars for them not to ask questions but that came out of your own pocket."

Shizuru smiled not feeling the loss of two-thousand dollars. "Good work, Haruka-san!"

Haruka crossed her arms. "Whatever gets me that holiday bonus. You just don't have the GUTS to do it yourself. By the way, it's under your alias Kiyo Tsuji. Dye your hair black."

Yukino giggled behind her hand and Haruka narrowed her eyes at her. "You know I'm right! Can you imagine Fujino staring down a thug? I can't! Her tea-sipping habits and her 'Ara!' doesn't intimidate anyone."

Yukino nodded behind a large grin knowing it was just best to agree with her. Shizuru tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Ara, I wonder if I will even make it out alive tomorrow!"

Haruka nodded. "See? Even she agrees. Yukino finish up with her while I get stuff from my office."

Haruka left the room and Yukino dug around for something in her pocket. She held out her hand for Shizuru to see. Shizuru looked at the tightly crumpled piece of paper in Yukino's palm. It looked like a little piece of trash, like someone had spat some gum into a paper and wrapped it up. She picked it up between her fingers. Yukino took out a small square device and held it out as well.

"I finished these a couple nights ago. I thought they would be necessary for tomorrow. That little ball of paper is actually a transmitter. Anything heard by the device will be sent to the recorder," Yukino said pointing to the square device. "It's compact and highly undetectable due to its disguise. It's very fragile though. I would suggest you drop it on the floor of an area you want to overhear but it sounds like this place is going to be pretty crowded. The best place after that is to find someone to plant it on. Other than that, just press this button on the recorder to start receiving transmission."

Shizuru took the recorder winked at Yukino. "Ara, brilliant as always, Yukino. If your heart was not taken already I'd give you a thank you kiss."

Yukino blushed. "I just want this to be successful. You should try and stay safe as well, Shizuru. It sounds like there is going to be a lot of bad people there. Is there anything else you need?"

She shook her head, truly thankful for Yukino and her intellect. "That will be all."

Haruka passed by in the hall, yelling back, "Yukino! Hurry up! I feel like a couple of drinks tonight!"

"Coming, Haruka!" Yukino's blush deepened. "Where will you be staying for the weekend? Do you want to meet after tomorrow to go over anything?"

Her first question referenced to the fact that Shizuru had a family house outside of Tokyo and an apartment in Tokyo. She was somewhat concerned about the well being of her employer and friend after tomorrow's events so she wanted to keep a mental list of where Shizuru was going to be at.

"I'll probably spend the weekend at the Fujino residence and I'm sure everything will go as planned. You better go catch up with Haruka. Maybe tonight the both of you can get drunk enough to confess to each other!"

Yukino stammered. "Shizuru!"

Shizuru laughed and then remembered the phone number that Chie had given her. She gave the piece of paper to Yukino. "If you don't mind, could you run this number? The young woman that came by said it actually might be the number of the people that the girls are going to."

"Alright. Take care, Shizuru. If you need any extra information, it should be on my desk." Yukino waved as she left the office, a bit eager to get to Haruka.

Shizuru sighed as she leaned against her desk. Tomorrow was an important day for her. She really hoped everything would go as planned. No mishaps. No spills. No surprises.

* * *

Shizuru Fujino, now disguised as Kiyo Tsuji, walked around the warehouse-like building. It had all the resemblances of a warehouse except that it had a few rooms on the side. There was also an area where formal bets were made for the upcoming matches. At the center was a large raised stage, much like those that boxers and wrestlers fought on except circular. It was raised high enough so that a person standing would be at eye level with the dogs. Around the 'pit', as dogfighters called it, were stands filled with people. Behind the metal bars were two dogs already fighting, their owners nearby and ready to intervene if they had to. Most dogfights were not to-the-death but from what Shizuru kept hearing is that this event was particularly brutal.

Even wearing a black pleated knee-length skirt, crème turtleneck, and a black jacket, Shizuru fit in perfectly with the other spectators. Some were dressed up in suits while others were dressed in leathers and tattoos. She had been there for some time already, scouting out the area and planning her actions. She spotted Nagi Homura early on. He was easy to identify with his bleached hair and youthful appearance. Nagi Homura was scum and not just in Shizuru's eyes. His criminal activity and networking rivaled that of the notorious Yakuza, Japanese mafia. He was fairly new to the streets of Tokyo, making his name known only in the last fifteen years. Him and his group were known as the 'First New Order' for reasons unknown. There was no doubt he held political power as well but Shizuru was not sure through which government members. Where the Yakuza were rough and unorganized, Nagi Homura's actions were subtle and done with more finesse.

Shizuru would do anything to rid Tokyo of him and his corruption. Nagi Homura was a high roller, a gambler in all things. Narcotics, prostitution, and gambling rackets were things Nagi Homura dealt with but did not focus on. He and his organization took the high road, corrupting the government and dealing in even greater dangers such as biodrugs and military weaponry. Though most of this was a lot of hearsay, Shizuru has reason to believe that it is true. Nagi was like a snake. He slithered his way in and out of trouble and could not be caught. There had been many that tried to bring evidence and cases against him but his power ran deep and he escaped every time. Shizuru hoped that she could get solid evidence today that could lead to something big and undeniable.

Shizuru watched closely as Nagi and his henchmen began to move to one of the rooms. It was time for the rendezvous with a person called Mr. Smith. Shizuru, who had been sticking close to Nagi, made her way over with the transmitter in her hand. As she walked past a large suited man, only a few feet away from Nagi, she tripped and clutched on to the man. She fell almost to one knee and feigned a small yell. The man, an obvious bodyguard for Nagi, was taken aback at first but then he helped Shizuru get up and steady herself.

Shizuru held a blush on her face pretending to be embarrassed. "I'm so sorry! I lost my balance there! Please forgive my clumsiness."

She suppressed her Kyoto accent as best she could but it did not matter much for the guard. One looked at her beautiful face and he had forgiven her of all her sins. His gruff exterior turned gentlemanly in a matter of seconds. "It's alright ma'am. D-Did you twist anything?"

Shizuru fanned herself with her hand and smiled coyly. "No, thank you very much."

She could hear Nagi call for him and the bodyguard dismissed himself quickly. Shizuru resisted the urge to smirk as she dusted herself off. Planting the transmitter in his pocket was a cakewalk. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him go into one of the rooms. In her jacket pocket she pressed the button and went back to walking around. Eventually she made it to an area where caged dogs waited impatiently. There were so many of them and those that were outside their cages wore muzzles to protect their handlers. The barked and growled at each other. There were a few dogs that were quite and lying down and those were usually the ones that had already fought. One dog lay on the ground, unmoving. She looked down at it for a while and noticed there were other people looking as well.

It was dead. It's head rested on a towel so the blood from its ripped open neck would not get everywhere.

"That was the Kochi champion fighter," came a thick voice from behind her. A portly old man stood beside her, wearing torn overalls and a hat. Shizuru inclined her head for conversation with a polite smile.

"Don't think I've seen ya at these tournies, Miss. I'm Shojiro Kishi. Ya could just call me Shoji. I'm the man in charge of 'em odds and bets at the Cash Room."

Shizuru could keep her eyes off the dead dog for very long. "My name is Kiyo Tsuji. It is my first time at a dog fight. It's a pleasure to meet you Shoji-san. Sounds like you have a big job."

The older man chuckled. "It's a big responsibility to keep track of the flow of money but hardly very busy. I have kids over there doing most of the work for me." He saw her slight interest in the dead dog. "This beast was in third place to win the tournament but he got decimated by the Niigata champion, who they say is going to take the Japanese champion title away from the current dominator."

She finally looked away, emotionless to the dog's fate. At first it made her sick and then she began to ponder why people fought dogs. It was a depressing ending for any dog that made it this far.

"Who do you think is going to win, Shoji-san?" She turned her attention back to the fighting pit with two small dogs fighting inside.

"In the top division? When the fight comes down to it, it's gonna between the Niigata's Killer and Chiba's Black Demon. Each prefecture gets to send one or two of their best dogs but none of them have been able to come close to the Demon from Chiba. Well, except that dog from Niigata. Completely new contender this year and he's been amazing. My money would be on the Black Demon but that's mixed with personal bias."

"Is Black Demon the champion dog?" Shizuru thought the names were horrible and silly but she was not there to question the ethics and traditions of the dogfighting world.

"Seven years running. I tell ya, Tsuji-san, that's a darn long time for any dog to be fightin' and winnin'. His handler, Yosuke Michin, came across the dog in Nara. He'll tell ya some pretty amazing stories on how he captured the beast. He says the dog was fully grown when they met. It was the most aggressive dog he had ever seen. A natural dogfighting champion. It came into the pits seven years ago and went for the kill every time. It didn't even need to be trained or baited. Eventually, only certain people would fight against the dog because they feared for their own dog's life. Every handler has the opportunity to throw in the towel for their dog but if they don't react fast enough, it can already be too late. I've seen this dog fight many times and I tell ya, she's a real bitch. She takes out an opponent's throat in one bite."

Shizuru felt it hard to believe that such a vicious and powerful dog could exist but what did she know? She as more of a cat person. She glanced over at the room Nagi Homura was in to confirm that no one had come out yet. She would leave as soon she she knew the meeting was over. Shojiro Kishi seemed eager to talk about the dogs though so she gave into conversation. It would be more interesting if her mind was not already occupied with other things.

"Will she win this year?"

"I'm not really sure. This last year she's been getting slower and slower. She's becoming less aggressive with each fight. Her previous match, last month, almost landed her dead. The Black Demon almost let the other dog rip her apart before she made a killin' blow. If she doesn't step up her game this match, Michin will have to pull her from the ring. But I'll tell ya one thing, if that Black Demon really fights like she used to, Killer has no chance in Hell of winnin'."

There was a round of cheering as a man yelled as loudly as he could. Two men jumped into the pit with ropes and chains and brought both dogs down. One of the contenders had forfeited the match. Shizuru watched as both dogs were escorted from the pit, one looking very torn up. The crowd settled down but in no time it had began to go wild again. An extremely large dog was placed into the pen while his handler kept a tight chain on him. Shizuru recognized it immediately as the Tosa breed. The Tosa breed was a Japanese dog that was specifically bred for dogfighting because its strength and tolerance to pain. The old man ushered her closer to the pit and she was amazed at how large the dog really was up close. It was easily two-hundred pounds of pure muscle.

"Is that Black Demon?" she asked.

The man laughed aloud. "No, that's Killer. Here comes the Black Demon." From their right, a man and a dog walked up a ramp to the pit. If Shizuru was impressed by Killer, she was blown away by Black Demon. It was unlike any dog she had ever seen. The dog was huge! Even though it was only bigger than Killer by a few pounds, the dog stood much taller than the Tosa. It was very different from the other stockier dogs that were bred to fight in the pits.

Shojiro Kishi placed his hands on his hips. "Now that's a dog. You know, that blood samples have been taken from that dog and its not any known pure breed. It seems to be a careful mix of many dogs known in Japan. Some say its an entirely new breed or a freak. It's nickname is The Wolf, if you can see why."

Indeed she could see why the dog was called "The Wolf". It basically looked like a wolf instead of a breed of dog made for fighting. It's ears were naturally up and pointed, unlike the floppy ears of the Tosa. The fur was longer and than the other dogs as well. She could not see any similarities that Black Demon had to other native Japanese dogs like Akitas and Tosas. Her astonishment slipped into concern as she saw the dog placed into the pit. The Tosa lit up and went wild on its side of the pit but the black dog remained calm and even a bit wary. The dog's handler was frowning as well.

"Doesn't look good for the Black Demon, Shoji-san."

"No it doesn't but this dog has been known to act strangely before fights. Well the match is about to begin. These dogs fight unlike any I've seen in all my years. They don't stand by the regular rules of dogfighting or the regular training. Both of these dogs fight for their life, not for just show. Try not to blink, Tsuji-san, cause it might be over faster than you think."

Shizuru took a quick second to glance around the warehouse to see Nagi Homura out of his meeting and paying attention to the upcoming fight as well. It was her signal that she was done for the day there but something made her stay. She had become absorbed into the dogs, especially the Black Demon. It stood just a couple feet away from her and she could see piercing green eyes. Its eyes looked so tired.

It's handler, Yosuke Michin, brought a riding crop down on the dog's backside. Black Demon growled and barked out in pain but it snapped the dog into a more aggressive state. Her handler looked more pleased and Shizuru watched, with a sick stomach, as the round bell rang.

* * *

Natsuki heard the bell of fate ring through her ears as she stood on the bloody stage facing the great Tosa before her. She felt her human owner back away and release the chain from her collar. The Tosa was raging already, barking threats and warnings. She lowered herself closer to the ground and growled back.

"Come on you fucking cur. Kill me!" She barked as the Tosa's large frame came barreling at her. She could feel the stage vibrate from the weight of the dog. Natsuki made a show of avoiding the dog but that was not her true intention. She let the Tosa hit her and take her to the ground. She dodged a snap. Natsuki and the Tosa reared up on each other, trying to wrestle the other to the ground. They pushed their large frames at it each other on their hind legs. The dog latched onto her shoulder but Natsuki tore violently at the Tosa's ear. Flesh ripped but the Tosa had gotten Natsuki to the ground. The Tosa backed off for a bit from the wound while Natsuki found her paws again. They collided against each other repeatedly and when they stood they were the height of a man. Natsuki was the first to fall to the ground ever time. She raced at the Tosa barking fiercely.

"Kill me!"

'Kill me. Kill me. Kill me.' Her mind chanted as she fought the Tosa bite for bite. She gave the large dog many chances to latch onto her neck but the stupid mongrel would not take it. She heard her handler shout her name angrily along with a string of commands. She did not pay him any attention. What she wanted was to die. She wanted to end the years of wandering.

The Tosa kept throwing her to the ground, biting her body deeply but never the neck. She felt his jaws clamp shut on her hind leg and primal anger shot through her. Turning swiftly on the dog she careened into him and latched her own fangs into the dog's fleshy neck. The Tosa howled out in pain and tried to roll free. Natsuki let go and rammed into the dog. The Tosa took a few seconds to recover from the wound and impact. Blood dripped from both dogs but Natsuki did not lunge again. The Tosa seemed to pick up a command from his owner and it drove at its adversary.

Natsuki squared herself off and held her ground, ignoring the calls from her own handler. She let out a whine of pain as the Tosa collided head first into Natsuki's shoulder. The impact threw her against the metal fence, shaking it. Finally...finally she could feel sharp fangs cut through her throat.

There was a bell, then an emergancy blare. She could hear her owner forfeiting with all the breath in his lungs. She could hear the Tosa's owner calling the dog to let go. She felt the Tosa's grip loosen just as he was about to hit deep into her throat.

She growled angrily. "Kill me! Don't let go!"

For a second the Tosa seemed to register her pleas but his owner was already in the pit screaming for him to let go. The Tosa released Natsuki and was chained and pulled away. Natsuki let her head fall to the ground and the crowd had gone mostly silent. She looked up at the intense lights but did not move. There was nothing left in her. No emotion. No will. She just stared at the lights unable to even form human words in her mind. It was blank, like an animal's.

The large figure of her owner loomed over her cursing. He latched the chain to her collar and tried to heave her up off the floor. Her body dragged for a bit before he stopped and began to yell at her. She looked at him with little emotion. She watched at the riding crop in his hand come down painfully onto her hind legs. His face was red and blotchy from anger and yelling. She did not respond to the pain or his order. Finally he reached down and grabbed the back of neck with one hand and tweaked her ear painfully with the other. There was a final chain that kept her main from falling into that of an animal's. It broke. With a howl of pain she lunged at him and sliced her teeth at the bottom of his face.

The man punched her body as he screamed. There was an uproar from all the onlookers as she lashed out at his hand and arms. She felt the bones in his hand crush between her teeth and she had not even applied her full force. He slammed his fist into her skull and into her body. Nothing hurt anymore. She was a desperate animal. An animal with only one human thought left. She wanted to die.

Weight was thrown on her and she was pulled away from her handler. There were screams and yells and she waited for the sharp prick that she knew would render her unconscious. Sure enough, within seconds, a needle was jammed into her neck and she felt a burning sensation course through her body. Then her body went limp. She looked back up at the blinding lights and hoped it would be the last time she would have to see them. The Black Demon never wanted to open her eyes again.

* * *

Shizuru watched with bated breath as Black Demon fought Killer. Shouts and cheers roared around her every time the dogs made a critical strike. Her eyes were not on the fight itself but focused on Black Demon. Her stomach twisted and clenched painfully as she watched the dog and its odd behavior. It was apparent to her that there was something wrong with the dog. It refused to make very many killing moves. The dog paid no attention to its handler, not even registering its name or any of the commands.

She held her clenched fist close to her heart. At some points she could not believe what she was seeing. The behavior of the black dog was so different from any dog that she had seen fight that day. For such a renowned champion, it looked as if the dog did not even want to fight. What she found odd was that the dog would have destructive bursts but then settle itself. During these times of raw and unrestrained attacks, she could see the true power behind the dog. Almost like a completely untamed animal. A real wolf.

She thought it was over when she saw the dog lock on Killer's throat. She could see the demon in the dog. It was as if she could feel the anger just radiate from her. Shizuru waited for some sicknening crunch but instead the dog released its hold. She was not sure what was happening when Black Demon did not go through with the death bite, and it appeared as if the people around her were just as confused. Shojiro hissed to himsef, "Does that dog want to die?"

His words presented a whole new perspective to Shizuru. If the dog wanted to die then its actions would have made perfect sense. Whoever heard of a non-human animal that wanted to die, though? The behavior demonstrated by the dog just was not adding up for Shizuru.

Shizuru could not hold back her gasp of panic as Killer bit down cleanly on Black Demon's throat. The black dog thrashed but did not try very hard to break free. Shizuru watched the dog eventually fall on its forelegs then onto its side as the Tosa bit down harder. Near her, Black Demon's handler yelled forfeit at the sight of his dog caving in. The bell and a screeching noise brought Shizuru out of her focus. Niigata's champion, Killer, was named the new Japan Champion but everyone remained largely quiet. It was an unusual match and collectively the spectators silently wondered if Black Demon had died or what they had just witnessed in the ring. Mostly they were in awe. The men had already begun to tug the new champion away to get to the defeated dog. Shizuru could see Black Demon lie still on the floor, fresh blood making its way to the floor. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Black Demon being dragged across the floor by her owner. Her mind raced with a million question on the state of the dog but not once questioned how uncharacteristic it was for her to care this deeply.

Yosuke Michin whipped his dog but it remained unresponsive. Shizuru's anger boiled quickly. It was disgusting to see a man inflict punishment on an injured dog. She did not catch his neck action but was alarmed when Black Demon jumped up and attacked Michin. Shizuru found her body being pushed around as the spectators became more animated and anxious. Shojiro left Shizuru's side but she followed him through the crowd. He headed towards the area where the caged dogs were held. By the time they had pushed their way through the throng to get there, Black Demon was being carried in. The on-site animal doctor was talking about the medicine he had used to tranquilize the dog. They placed Black Demon on a metal table where several people began to wrap her wounds hastily. Shojiro went around shouting order and gathering people to him. People listened to him without question and Shizuru began to understand that he was more important than just being a Bets and Odds Master. Yosuke Michin stumbled in the area with a cloth held to his face and several people aiding him. He sat his large body in a flimsy plastic chair, cursing the entire time.

Shizuru could hear him yelling as she looked at Black Demon. "That damn dog! I'm going to kill her! A dog that bites the hand that feeds him is a worthless piece of shit! She's no damn good for fighting either! Did you see her?!"

Shizuru narrowed her eyes, fed up with the guy's attitude. Whatever little she had seen from the man had not been anything good and she was not surprised if the dog no longer wanted to fight with an owner like that. She made her way to one of the men bandaging the large black dog. Politely and quietly she inquired, "Will she make it through?"

The man looked momentarily confused and then he realized she was addressing him. He nodded. "My guess is she will. Tough dog. On a regular dog these wounds will take a while to heal. The neck wound is pretty bad and may lead to some scaring. She may have some minor fractures we don't know about but she's been known to bounce back really fast. All the other bites are just flesh wounds. I wouldn't be worried about the damage done to her though. I heard Michin-san has been calling for PBB."

Shizuru tilted her hand and resisted the urge to pet the unconscious dog. "PBB?"

"Pentobarbital. Injectable anathesia and we use it in large amounts to put a dog to sleep."

Shizuru's eyes widened. "They are going to put her to sleep?"

The man shrugged. In his mind he thought it was natural for women to be concerned about putting little dogs to sleep but he did not usually meet these types of women at dogfights. Personally, he found it just as shocking as well. It seemed like a waste to put such a long running champion to sleep. "It's up to the owner. It seems like this dog is finished its fighting days though. Probably getting old. Michin-san has many good dogs so getting rid of this one may be a shame but he doesn't care very much."

Shizuru muttered a thank you and backed and away from the table and let the man do his work. She glanced back at Michin who was still arguing with the people around him. She took one last looked at Black Demon before she strode over to Yosuke Michin. The man did not register her presence until she was only a couple feet from him. She placed on a serious look, abandoning her Kyoto-bred politeness. "Mister, how much do you want for your dog?"

Michin looked at her as if she was the dumbest woman in the world. His hand was mangled and someone was attempting to bandage it gently. "Which dog?"

"Black Demon."

Michin sputtered and glared at her. His expression could have made her wonder if she had grown two heads or something. He looked at his dog on the metal table.

"I am a very busy woman. How much do you want for Black Demon?"

"What do you want with a dog like that?" He looked her up and down and tried to place what type of woman she was. He pressed the bloodied cloth harder to his face and she could see it was dripping with water. He cringed for a moment. "You can't breed her. She'll kill any dog that comes near her. Trust me, I've tried."

"If you don't want my money, then say so, Michin-san. If you're just going to put her down, you might as well give her to me." Shizuru turned on her heel to leave, slightly frustrated with the man and hoping her bluff would work. She gave herself three steady steps and on the last one she sighed secretly in relief as Yosuke Michin called out.

"Ten thousand dollars."

Shizuru held an angry look of disbelief on her face as she kept her back to him. Ten thousand dollars was a hell of a lot of money for a damn dog. But she told him to name his price.

She turned with a forced friendly smile. "Deal."

Her agreement to the price washed away all his pain and he stood up and grabbed a younger man near him. "Get Black Demon's cage and his bag of shit for her."

Shizuru pulled out her checkbook from deep within her jacket pocket. She had brought a considerable amount of cash with her but definitely not ten-thousand dollars. She asked for a pen and wrote out a check for Michin. The entire time she looked at Back Demon on the table. Once everything was ready for transporting the once proud champion, she remembered Nagi Homura. She looked around for him but he was no where to be seen. His whereabouts really did not matter to her since she had accomplished what she wanted. She stood there slightly dumbfounded by the fact that she to gather information and was leaving with a dog.

Dog fights were still going on but they were from smaller dogs and even between some exotic animals. A small growing crowd was asking what was going to be the fate of Black Demon. Apparently word got around that she had purchased him. She took it as her indication to leave before she drew too much attention to herself. Shojiro Kishi found her after everything settled and his expression was wary.

"Ya're either dumb or reckless, Tsuji-san. Ya just bought yourself one big dog and a lot of trouble. Best of luck to ya."

Shizuru did not doubt she was going to need all the luck she could get as she looked at Black Demon being carried to her car.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

-Take note of the relationship between Yukino, Haruka, and Shizuru. It's definitely not like in the anime. They address each other casually by first names so you can assume they know each other pretty well.

-No, Nagi doesn't look like a little kid. He still looks like a weasel though.

-Remember that the previous chapter took place roughly 1000 years ago. Hence the title and Natsuki's attitude.

**Factual Notes:**

-Dogfighting is legal in Japan except in the Tokyo prefecture.

-The story now takes place in Modern Japan. If you really want a year, then just go with 2008/2009.

-The age of majority (age which is legally an adult) is 20 in Japan. Yeah...freaking old. Anyways, in the story it's 18. This is for my convenience and also there is heavy talk in Japanese politics about lowering it to 18 anyways.

-Schools are for the most part traditional (Japanese). Six years elementary, three years "middle school", and three years high school.

-Places given names in the story are real. If it sounds legit, then it's probably cause it is. Cities, prefectures, school names, etc. Stores, restaurants, businesses, street names will probably be made up. By the way, Tokyo is huge...don't ask me exact locations of anything xD

**A/N:**

Phew, here is the second chapter to you guys! I released it early since the first chapter was mostly backstory. Don't expect the next one until at least two weeks from now (my normal publish rate). XD I hope you liked how the story progressed. Wahhhhh Shizuru now has a puppy on her hands!!! One big puppy. Chie and Aoi fans will get a huuuuge treat next chapter and we have another favorite character making an appearance (go ahead and guess). Hehe. Thanks for all the great reviews and to my amazing BETAs Graceful Amethyst and Lahren.

Btw, I think Shizuru as a private investigator looks freakin' sexy. You'll get more backstory next chapter when it is revealed why she is so gun-hoe on taking down Nagi. Her reason is admittedly pretty unoriginal but I'm putting in quite a few nice twists to keep it fresh.

No animals (or Natsukis) were actually harmed in the making of this fic (kinda).

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Ume-sama: Thanks :D hope you liked this chapter as well. I will try and be as original as possible with the plot!

Kikyo4ever: Yeah beauty and the beast-ish. Surprisingly I wasn't even thinking of beauty and the beast when this idea popped up into my mind. I plan on taking this to town!

Krugern: Well since you couldn't wait, I posted the next chapter ridiculously early. Enjooooyyy!!!!

noraily: woo you think it's promising! Ah I'm so happy and excited, thanks!

Wolvenkite: Lol I see you couldn't wait either well here it is! Hope you enjoy.

Lildevilish: Haha Natsuki as a dog will continue to be cute and interesting. And she gets to be (hopefully) cuddled by Shizuru tons

eclairz: Yes! Thanks thanks! Please stick with me and I'll stick on you like gluuuee

Dodo: Here it is the next chapter, doll!

SpiderLilies2007: Except of a beast, we have an extremely cute Natsuki-puppy

lolanoreally: Yeah I guess it would really suck for Natsuki to get her ass whipped like this but it's for the best!!

MomoXIXI: SHIZURU IS HERE! I hope you agree with me when I say that a PI Shizuru is amazingly hot to think about

Nao Yuuki: Just wait...*whisper whisper* you're in the next chapter

ZZ-Edge-X-Meirouki-zZ: one hell of a penname to write out xD but yes thanks for the review!!

ALEXISSA2: I always look forward to you reviewing as well. I get a new lot of new people with each story but its nice to see some people come back. AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT TWO WEEKS! :D yayyyyy

BleedingHopes: Holy crap...chills, wow that's scary man. Maybe I should stop writing if I'm giving people chills. XD haha jk jk, hope you liked this

hanazono: Thank you very much! This chapter may have been a bit more depressing than usual but bare with me.

**-Nimara**


	3. In Need of an Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations.

**Warning: Death. Background overload.**

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**The Greatest Gift**

**Chapter 3:** In Need of an Angel

Nimara

* * *

"_People's fates are simplified by their names."_ - Elias Canetti

* * *

'I should change her bandages before she wakes up,' Shizuru thought to herself as she stood in her living room. The room was large but barely furnished. A couch, a coffee table, a piano, and a television were all that graced the room. In front of the television sat the large crate that held the killer canine inside.

She knelt down in front of the cage, peering through the metal bars. The massive creature continued to sleep, its current bandages soaked through. Shizuru had already changed out of her professional attire to prepare for what would be a dirty task.

'What if she needs stitches?' It was one of many questions she had regarding the dog's health. Despite her current career path, she did have a working knowledge of anatomy and medical aid from her family's influence. The dog's breathing sounded clear and steady, a good start.

Shizuru frowned and went to her bathroom to gather her first aid kit and towels. It had been hours since the dogfight but Shizuru had been unable to look after the dog until she had gotten to her family residence. She laid the towels out on the floor and opened the cage. That was the easy part. Getting the heavy looking dog outside the cage without further harming it would be more difficult. Shizuru cringed and stuck her arm into the cage and around the animal. She heaved until the dog was out and on the towels. Stroking the soft fur on Black Demon's head, her breath stilled. The sleeping beast looked so different from the one she had seen in the fight in the pit. Still the memory of the ferocity of the dog made her alert and prepared. Only a small piece of canvas rope around the fighting dog's muzzle protected her.

Shizuru began to work at the bandages. She took off the old and placed fresh ones the exact same way the first had been. The largest wound was at the neck and it oozed blood when the bandage was removed. Taking a warm, damp hand cloth she worked softly at the caked blood. For the most part, it looked as if the bleeding had stopped and the wounds were not as deep as they first appeared. It was surprising, to say the least, since Black Demon seemed near death as it was pulled out of the pit. Shizuru wrapped Black Demon's hind leg but her fingers slowed when she felt the hard muscles twitch under her. She tensed as the dog let out a low rumbling. She dropped the bandage and leaned away, preparing herself for aggression. The canvas rope containing the large muzzle was looking more flimsy by the second. The rumbling became a loud growl and then stopped as the dog opened its eyes. Shizuru held her breath as the dog looked in her direction and growled again, baring her teeth under the rope restraint.

'Don't be afraid,' Shizuru reminded herself but it did not help her nerves very much. It was hard to look into those fierce green eyes and not remember the pure power of the creature. All she could think of was the way the muscles had moved beneath the fur as the dog wrestled with the other that afternoon.

In a moment of clarity, she silently admonished herself for being so uncharacteristically rash and purchasing this dog.

Knowing that moving her body to stand would provoke the beast, she began to speak softly.

"Ara, I don't think you should be growling at me, silly puppy. You should just go back to sleep and get your rest." She smiled as the dog's growling settled down. The dog's head lowered a bit and continued to rumble. White fangs no longer flashed with anger.

"I'm glad you're out of that place...Hopefully you still have a nice personality after all you've been through." Gods, she was talking to a dog, but if it was not doing anything to help the dog's anger it sure was helping her become less afraid. Black Demon put its head back on the ground and the growling turned into a soft whine. Shizuru could see the dog get tired again and she stood slowly. The large dog followed her movements warily and occasionally opened her maw to show her menacing fangs.

Shizuru looked at the hind leg that remained partially bandaged. The wound there was shallow enough for her to leave it be and not take the chances of riling up the dog again. Black Demon licked her muzzle and Shizuru took it as a sign that she was probably dehydrated. Along with the crate, collar, fighting papers, and leash she was also given half a bag of food. Food and water were always great for recuperation. Shizuru left for the kitchen, also remembering another thing Black Demon needed. A new name. She laughed to herself as she began to go through her mental list of flowery girl names.

–

Mai had waited patiently for the human to leave and become engrossed with her work. The night was rapidly approaching and an orange glow poured in from the large bay windows. The room, now tinted in sunset, held an eerie ambience. Mai stood and watched the dog sleep deeply.

"Natsuki..." Mai sat on her knees next to the injured canine. She wore the same white robes as the morning after she met Natsuki. She moved her hand carefully over the sleeping dog's fur with a heavy sigh. Her bright hair covered her solemn eyes as she scratched behind Natsuki's right ear.

"Natsuki."

Natsuki opened her eyes and growled but did not look at Mai. Weakly, she picked up her head and sniffed the air around her. Mai frowned and shook her head.

"You still can't see me...nor can you really hear me."

Natsuki licked her paw and let her head fall back down to the ground with a small whimper. Mai continued to pet her dark fur, knowing it was providing a small sense of comfort. "You've been this way for so long...I'm so sorry. So many years you have wandered Japan and left to your own mind. You closed me out and then you closed the world out. You've lost your humanity."

Natsuki was nothing more but a dog now. Mai placed her hands on Natsuki's bandaged neck and hummed softly. A faint glow appeared from her hands and Mai held it there for some time. When she was done she placed both her hands in her lap.

"Hopefully that will make you feel a little better. Please come back to us soon, Natsuki. I have so much to tell you...so much has changed. You can't break the curse when you're like this but I can't help you out of this darkness that you have crawled into."

Mai placed her arms around Natsuki's large form and disappeared into the ever-after.

–

Shizuru placed a pair of headphones on her head as she sat down in the dimly lit den. Dual screen computer waited with information for her. She had finally finished decrypting the audio recording she got earlier that day. Seeing after Black Demon had delayed her true objective for the day. Anxious and excited she began to play the recoding of Nagi Homura's meeting back. She hoped it would reveal something critical against the slick Kingpin. After random chatter passed, the conversation began to play. She held a pen ready to scratch notes down.

"_Homura-san, it is a pleasure to see you as always."_

"_Hello, Mr. Smith. What do you have for me today?"_

"_I would like to say after many years of waiting and monitoring, we finally found him. Joseph Greer, has been found. He's under the alias of Ichiro Saitou. He's been out of the country until last year. From what we have learned he is very much alive and well."_

Pause. Joseph Greer. Shizuru hastily searched her computer for a name she had seen in many years. She knew who he was though. Joseph Greer had worked with her parents.

The Fujino family was a line of renowned physicians both men and women being trained to go into the medical world. Shizuru had been taught this for as long as she could remember and much of her upbringing was directed towards the medical field. Her mother and father though did not fit the type of medical doctor that she knew of though. It was somewhat odd to Shizuru since she pictured doctors as the ones she saw while going to her routine exams. Her parents worked in a different manner in the medical field. Instead of working in the tall hospitals saving lives and diagnosing patients, they were scientists.

Joseph Greer had disappeared seventeen years ago, shortly after the passing of her parents.

"_Very good. Watch him for now. We'll pay him a visit when we get everything ready. I'm sure he's under close surveillance now that he's back in Japan."_

"_My employer would like to know how far along you are with the activation process."_

"_Tell him I'm close enough. He's waited a good decade and a half and now he can wait a bit longer."_

"_Why can we not just take Joseph Greer and force him to help us?"_

"_The government is monitoring him undoubtedly. As soon as he disappears again they'll search for him and they won't stop until they find him or his body. I figure Greer will not be very accommodating to us anyways."_

"_Can my employer see the completed specimen?"_

_"If he wants to see her, he can. She's basically finished we just have to figure how to connect the core system to her."_

"_And how do we activate her?"_

"_Your master and I can discuss that at a later time."_

Shizuru listened as the conversation progressed into matter of narcotic shipments but Nagi Homura had _never_ been caught with drugs before. He could slither his way out of every drug possession and trade charge thrown at him. Even good law enforcement agents could have their careers come to a crashing halt if they tried to bring Nagi in, but those were 'rumors'. More like scapegoats. He undoubtedly had connections to bureaucrats who could make the red in his ledger disappear.

…And Mr. Smith's employer was probably one of them. It would be a waste of her time to pursue Nagi with drug possession even if all the information she needed was recorded right there. Shizuru wanted to strike once at Nagi and shut him down for good, but she would need evidence of his atrocities outside the drug world. While she had a bone to pick with the narcotic shipments, she knew there were greater evils looming. She thought back at Joseph Greer and the compelling conversation that first took place as she listened to the non-important remainder of the meeting.

Shizuru pulled up all the files she had on her parents and Joseph Greer. Joseph Greer was also a scientist, a family friend, and a frequent visitor to the Fujino residence. Shizuru had grown up with a fairly normal and peaceful life and never knew of the earth-shattering future ahead. Everything had been so meticulously pieced together around her as she grew up that she never once felt anything was out of place. She was never aware of the lies that were weaved around her. Shizuru knew she still did not know the extent of the lies that were uncovered seventeen years ago.

It was not until after her mother and father had died did she learn who they really were. The night of her parents' deaths started like any other night- calm, restful, and normal. To the eight-year-old Shizuru, the night ended normal as she settled down at her bedtime and drifted to sleep. What happened next was nothing less than a nightmare.

Shizuru leaned into her leather chair and let her head hit the back of it with a deep sigh.

_Shizuru was jolted awake by someone roughly grabbing her out of bed. The person practically threw the small child over their shoulder and Shizuru clutched the body instinctively. The young girl, even in her drowsy state, knew the person. The scent of paper, ink, and peppermint_ _told her that the stranger was her mother. That fact did little to calm the panic and fear rising in Shizuru. Never had she been waken so abruptly._

"_Shizuru, be quiet." That voice did not sound like her mother. It was not the cheerful and playful tone she was used to hearing. It was strained and high pitch with fear. Her mother tore out of the room, Shizuru jostling in her arms. All she could see was dark halls as her mother ran quietly down them. Shizuru dug her little hands into her mother's back when she heard a large piece of glass break from very far away. Their house was large but even in the dark Shizuru knew her mother was heading to the master bedroom._

_Her mother ran right into the walk in closet and placed Shizuru down roughly. She moved the hangers of thick clothing aside to completely reveal the drawer that little Shizuru knew contained undergarments and sweaters. Her mother heaved the drawer aside not caring that the wooden piece of furniture scratched against the white wall. Behind it was a hole. A square opening big enough for an adult to crawl into. The little girl was taken by the hand and pushed next to the opening. Shizuru, the child, could not quell the panic and fear inside her. She couldn't comprehend what was going on. Everything was so dark and moved so fast. Her mother tore off her white lab coat that she was wearing and threw it around the small girl._

"_Shizuru, please, please," she knelt down next to Shizuru and held her round face in her cold hands. "Mommy needs you to get inside there. It's not big but it only goes one direction. I need you to crawl inside here and be quiet. You can go in as far as you want but if you reach the other end, be very quiet. Just stay in there. Promise me, Shizuru." Her mother's voice was fast and harsh._

"_What's going on?" Shizuru's big tears rolled down her cheeks as she began to cry. "Mommy, I'm scared."_

"_'Zuru, promise me!" Fearful crimson eyes mirrored each other._

"_I'll be quiet!" Shizuru cried out, surprised that her mother had yelled at her. Shizuru grabbed onto her mother. "What's happening? Is daddy in trouble?"_

"_Everything is going to be fine, baby," her mother said as she pried the child off her and pushed her into the alcove. "I love you, okay? Mommy and daddy love you so much."_

_There was another crash of glass off in the distance and her mother kissed her hard on the head. Her hands were shaking, her body was cold. In the darkness, Shizuru could not see the tears on her mother's face but felt them as their cheeks touched._

"_Don't come out until I tell you to. Bye, sugar."_

"_No! Mommy, please!" Her mother already began to move the drawer back in place over the opening as she whispered harshly, "Mommy loves you Shizuru. Please be quiet!"_

_Stunned again by the abrasive tone, she fell silent, staring at the darkness._

_Shizuru felt like pounding on the solid wood that began to cover in front of her. Finally it slid in place and the small girl stared back at the dark. Metal surrounded her. It was cold. The only thing warm in the darkness was her mother's coat that was around her shoulders. Shizuru continued to cry but keeping her mother's promises she buried her whimpers and sniffles into the white coat. Even an eight year old knew when things were not going to be all right._

_There was more crashing then yelling. Shizuru heard it from the open dark space that was ahead of her. The noises never stopped and seemed so close to her. Her curious nature would have sent the her down the vent to follow the sounds but there was nothing more that she wanted than to wait for her mother to return. She would wait right there, next to the wood backing of the drawer. Her crying never stopped but halted or hiccuped when a particularly loud sound shocked her. The voices were so muffled that she could not pick out the sound of her mother or father._

_It felt like an eternity that she listened to the sounds of her own crying mixed with what was happening in her house. It was an eternity she wished would never end after she heard the first gunshot. Bang._

_Bang again, the second. Bang, the third. Bang, the fourth. Bang, the fifth. Bang, the sixth. Even if she had never heard a gunshot before, it was undeniable what it was. There was no more yelling. It was silent. Inside Shizuru's head she replayed the echoes of the shots. They were so loud in her head. She curled up inside the coat and prayed the quiet now meant her mother was coming back. She laid her body on the cold metal and waited. Waited for an explanation. Waited for light. Waited for more sound._

_She waited for her mother's warm arms that would never come._

_The next time Shizuru heard anything from across the dark vent was when she woke up. She shivered and curled up her body tighter, as she took notice of the cold around her. The noises were softer. Soft bangs and calm voices. Shizuru remained quiet though. Unable to tell that passage of time, Shizuru did not know how long she laid there listening to the new noises. Her body trembled and she fought the urge to cry when the noises came from the other side of the drawer. People moved in the closet and she even heard the hangers slide against the rails._

_There were more voices again and this time Shizuru could hear them._

"_I don't see anything in here. Do you think they took the child?"_

"_We don't know. The laboratory was hidden pretty damn well in the basement. I wouldn't be surprised if the Fujino's had other secret places."_

"_She's probably here somewhere. I hope she is. I have no idea why they would take the child. If they wanted to harm her they would have left her body out in the open like her parents. Kidnapping wasn't their M.O."_

_Shizuru closed her eyes and was not sure what the men were talking about. Their voices were still muffled behind the thick wood._

_A new voice. "The Fujino's matron is here. She's livid. She wants her granddaughter, Investigator."_

_Shizuru pulled her small form up and scooted over to press her ear against the wood. Her grandmother was here. Her grandmother. A woman she did not see very often and who was not the nicest person in the world but her it was her grandmother. Shizuru's innocent heart leaped at the thought of seeing someone she knew. Still she remained quiet._

_There was a distant yelling but it grew closer. Shizuru began to silently cry again when she heard her name being called by the chorus of people._

"_Shizuru! Shizuru! Where are you? Shizuru!" It was a voice more fervent than the rest._

_The voice, she did not recognize, but it was feminine and slightly aged. Shizuru could pick up on just the slightest of lilts that her parents shared. It had to be her grandmother._

_Shizuru cried harder, no longer hiding her wails inside the coat. Panic packed the small child and in a torrent of overwhelming fear, she tried to push against the wooden backing of the drawer. It was too heavy for her. She found her own rasping voice and cried out as she heard her grandmother's voice echo through the small hollowed vent she was in._

"_I'm here! Please! Please! Mommy!" Her tiny fists pounded against the wood and her breathing became labored. Her panic led to an instinctive fear of the darkness surrounding her. If she did not break her mother's promise, they were not going to find her. She may be left there forever. No, she did not want to be left in there __**forever**__!_

"_Please! Help me! Help!" She screamed and hit the wood and metal around her._

_She cried and cried and her cries turned to screams of desperation to get someone to hear her. Her wails bounced back at her in the small chamber. _

_There was a large clamor in the closet. More people were yelling again and there was a lot of banging and shuffling. It was not long before the drawer was pushed aside and light poured in. She stopped crying so loudly but could not stop her tears._

"_SHIT, she's here! Help me push this! Little girl, we are coming!"_

_Shizuru closed her eyes from the bright light and let the nearest set of arms drag her out of the metal vent. Adults in blue and white took her and placed her on the bed where she adjusted to the light and looked at the many people around her. Someone came in with a first aid kit and knelt in front of her. She continued to cry as she clutched the coat tightly to her. She knew no one in the room and began to cry harder._

"_Where is my mommy?" She sobbed. She hiccupped, trying to catch her breath yet wanting to know where her mother was. She was saved her little mind knew things were still not right. The concerned look on the servicemen's faces only seemed to affirm her thoughts of the worst. She was inconsolable and not even the smell and comfort of her parents' bed could calm her. Yellow latex gloves gently prodded her body and someone had moved to stroke her hair. _

_A tall and graying woman pushed through the crowd of people. Her grandmother. Crying, the Matron grabbed Shizuru and took her into her arms. _"_Shizuru. You're alive. Gods, you're alive. You're safe. Shizuru."_

_She was alive. She was safe. Sometimes being alive and safe just were not enough. She wanted her parents. She wanted to wake up from the nightmare._

Shizuru bit her bottom lip and let a sigh shake her body. She had little control over her body as she moved forward to look at her computer once again then at the room. If she listened hard enough she could still hear the banging and the yelling. Things had been so different since then. The truth was slowly revealed but it would take years before Shizuru could get enough information to piece together something logical. Her mother and father worked for the government, specifically on a confidential project called Yggdrasil. A secret laboratory under the Fujino residence was created for the sole purpose of the project. Shizuru never knew of it until that day. The vent she sat in overnight, Shizuru later learned, led to the laboratory. She had never seen it before and it was not a part of the Fujino residence for much longer after her parents' murder. Shizuru only caught a few glimpses of it before the government tore it down and replaced it with dirt and cement as if it had never been there.

Most of the house had undergone extensive searching that included many walls being torn down. Everything was rebuilt but most of it was very different from the original layout. Shizuru coped with the tragedy with her grandmother, far away from the Fujino residence. The Fujino matron protected Shizuru from the government officials who seemed to want nothing to do with Shizuru but drill her with questions. What did your mother say? Your father? Did they leave you anything? Did they ever show you anything weird? What did they say about their work?

Even to her grandmother, her son's and his wife's occupation had been a secret. She was briefed on the basics of their work but was then contracted to never say a word of it again. Rika and Katsu Fujino may have not been the most famous people but their family was well known and the day after their death's the news headlines read "Fujino Family Death After Hostile Burglary". Shizuru believed the lies ate at her grandmother every day. The matron was unable to do anything but grieve since the government was 'taking care of everything else'. Young Shizuru and her grandmother took life one step at a time, both trying to answer the question 'Why them?'.

Later, from her mother's journal that her grandmother had kept from the investigators, she discovered those who most likely killed her mother and father were people from the First Order. Written in the diary were warnings of threats and tension with this group and their leader, Nagi Homura. Shizuru's mother did not elaborate on the topic too much but from time to time stressed that there was danger to come if certain precautions were not met.

Shizuru never heard or saw Joseph Greer after that even though he was the closest friend of her parents. He had disappeared and somewhere in her mind she believed that he had died as well. Years passed and Shizuru continued her life as a regular child, leaving all the complicated matters of that night behind but what happened could never be completely forgotten. As Shizuru went through her teenage years and the usual process of understanding herself and her life, she came to one very important conclusion. Shizuru Fujino would bring justice to her family. Her grandmother, in her old age, may have been fine with leaving her son's death a mystery but Shizuru was not. No one hurts the Fujino family and gets away with it.

Shizuru walked into the dark living room with a blanket tucked under her arm. She wanted to check in on Black Demon before she went to bed as well. It had taken her a lot to pull away from the computer and call it a day. Things were not piecing together when it came to Nagi Homura, Joseph Greer, and her parents. There were so many chunks of information she knew she was missing. The only thing the audio recording told her was that Joseph Greer was still alive and whatever her parents were working on was still important to the First Order. More questions than answers! Unable to work any longer she found herself making her way to the living room.

It was times like these that the house seemed to haunt her, even with its initial remodeling. The shadows, the way the moonlight spilled into the room drew up old feelings from that night. She took comfort in that she was not alone this night in the house her parents had died in. On the sparse living room floor laid the large dog that showed no signs of having moved since she had left her there. Shizuru crotched down in front of Black Demon, making sure to make just enough noise to wake it if it was a light sleeper. Even when she began to stroke the soft fur and bandages, Black Demon did not wake. Shizuru placed the blanket over the dog and rubbed softly behind the ears. She was such a beautiful dog. Shizuru could not get enough of the soft fur, especially around the ears.

Shizuru leaned back against the couch. She continued to pet Black Demon trying to think of the life this dog had led and to distract herself from darker thoughts. There was a chance that Black Demon was going to not be tame enough to return to a normal life. Even now she was still wary of the dog that had its muzzle held tightly restrained. It looked uncomfortable. Too tired to be wiser, she slowly slid the rope off and ran both her hands down Black Demon's muzzle. Black Demon stirred slowly and under half lidded eyes, she looked at Shizuru. Shizuru felt her heart skip as the dog woke. There was nothing between her and a large-fanged dog with a powerful bite. Shizuru found herself talking slowly and softly, trying to calm herself and show Black Demon she meant no harm. Her hand rested on the back of the dog's neck, very softly rubbing with her fingertips.

"You must be quite old, Dog-san."

In the dark it was hard to see much of the black dog but Shizuru did see her green eyes. They were dull and soft as if half-asleep still. The dog's ears twitched as Shizuru spoke.

"Once you heal up, I'll show you around. I think you will like the house. It has a large backyard for you to run around and a family of loud squirrels that live in the black pine. We'll probably be at the flat in Tokyo more though." Shizuru moved her hand over the fur between the dog's eyes.

She sighed and closed her eyes, her body feeling drained. "Maybe you'll be too large to keep in Tokyo. My place has enough room for you but I'm afraid it's not always the best place to take a dog for a walk."

She looked down at Black Demon who had closed her eyes. Shizuru smiled. She had averted danger.

"Ara, you still need a new name. A cute name is best."

Quietly she started listing off names in a soft and drawled tone. Her head rested back against the couch and she closed her eyes again. Her mood had lightened and the previous feeling of anxiety was gone. She pushed the memory of her parents to the furthest parts of her mind.

"Blossom. Rei. Strawberry. Flower. Misa. Kuri..." A stifled yawn.

"Princess. Lady. Ginger...Tea..."

Shizuru felt Black Demon crawl closer to her body as her mind began to slow in exhaustion. Somewhere she knew she should not fall asleep on the floor but she was already past the point of reason.

"How about...Angel...?"

Shizuru giggled softly as she registered her last through before letting sleep take her. "Angel..."

_'We need an Angel in this house...'_

_There is a shrine in the mountains of Chichibu, Saitama that the surrounding residents visit. It is a shrine to the Wolf God who protected the mountains and forests. Even before the rise of the Samurai, a legend was told of a powerful Lord's son that came across the white Wolf God. The only son of the Lord was weak and frail but wished to follow in the footsteps of his benevolent father. One winter, while hunting, the son who wished to prove his abilities was gravely injured by stampeding boar. The Wolf God saw this and saw the purity in the boy's heart so he transferred the dying boy's soul into a wolf's body. In return, the boy would look over the mountain area where his father's land was. A low and chilling howl was heard every night near the Lord's residence for many years. The Lord expanded the shrine to commemorate his dead son who would watch over the coming generations._

_Villagers tell stories of the wolf spirit that watched over the shrine. To them, it was the Wolf God's messenger and loyal servant. Some brought their newborns to be blessed there so they would grow up to be loyal and steadfast individuals with good judgment. Travelers never neglected to pay their respects to the shrine and to the wolf spirit. The wolf was not just a tale or legend passed down from parent to child but an actual creature seen and felt._

_It was a black wolf that was very unlike the brown scraggly wolves of Honshu. The black wolf was a resident of the shrine and the mysterious deaths of bandits and thieves were attributed to the wolf. Many praised the wolf for its constant vigilance but some were fearful and resentful of it. Time and time again rabble, criminals, and the foolhardy attempted to desecrate and destroy the shrine. They hoped to scare the spirit away or destroy it completely in the flames. None succeeded. The wolf carried out punishment swiftly. Those who had seen the wolf kill and lived, told stories of a beast that lashed out with its fangs and claws vehemently and vengefully._

_The same stories were passed from generation to generation. Stories of the wolf's loyalty to the shrine, its swift justice, and its anger. If any one were to doubt the myths and legends all they needed to do was stay at the shrine. Surely they would catch a glimpse of the sleek and powerful creature. There was a warning, though, to those who visited the shrine with malice in their hearts. If the wolf spirit caught the scent of evil from your body, you would not make it out of the woods alive._

_The world changed. With the world, people changed and they became less attached to spiritual beings. Their hearts grew cold and the wolf appeared less and less. War and reform swept the lands and people forgot old deities. More frequently the people of the mountain heard the wolf's grieving howl._

_Many nights Natsuki rested at the shrine and howled mournfully. Not for the people of the mountains or the change of times, but she howled for herself. Each year was another year of despair that drove her mad. In her heart she held hatred and envy for humans and Gods alike. No one could help her ice cold heart. War came to the mountainside and the shrine dedicated to her was burned down for good. No one bothered to rebuild it during such a time of destruction. Natsuki went back to traveling up and down Japan seeking the cure to her curse._

_While she found no priest, priestess, or witch to lift the curse she saw the rise of technology to new levels. Population exploded and quickly Natsuki found herself trapped in a growing new society that wanted little to do with wolves and large dogs. She wondered how much longer she would have to wander before she could find someone to help her. She also wondered which day would be her last knowing her chances for survival decreased as the human population increased. She could not have the normal life of a human or the immortality of a God. Her madness came from being stuck in a sickening Limbo._

_And in the end...she died. She had died as a wolf, without fulfilling the curse. She was thankful that her suffering had ended._

–

Natsuki opened her eyes and noticed unusual warmth near her body. She closed her eyes again before she could take in her surroundings. She remembered that she was in the afterlife now, maybe that was why her body felt warm and the air smelled clean. The afterlife was a good place, she agreed with herself. Natsuki stretched out her body but as she did sharp pains ran down her body. She chirped in pain and relaxed her body. Her eyes opened and she lifted her head to see furry legs and paws. She painfully looked down her body to see bandages that covered the healing wounds.

Natsuki huffed and dropped her head heavily onto the wood floor. It was not...the afterlife. It was possible that she would remain a wolf in the afterlife but she was sure wounds from her battle would have healed. Natsuki whimpered at the agony of the thought that she had successfully lived. Things had felt so different though; she was sure she had died and gone into the afterlife. Her human clarity had even returned.

'I am Natsuki. I was born...to Lord Toba Kuga. I am a wolf. For the last ten years...'

Being able to form coherent sentences in her mind told her that she had indeed connected with her humanity once again. It felt so surreal. She had never been able to think so clearly in centuries. What was different now? She whined out again trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Uhn...Angel...?" Natsuki forgot about the mass of warmth next to her until it spoke. She looked up and stopped whimpering. A woman was waking from the floor space next to her. A blanket had fallen between the both of them.

"Ara, are you in pain?"

A hand reached out towards Natsuki and she growled instinctively. The hand was quickly retracted and Natsuki locked gazes with the woman. Her chestnut hair was mused, her loose clothing was crinkled, and she looked tired but she was undeniably beautiful. She had red eyes. They were the most captivating eyes, red or not, that Natsuki had ever looked into. Slowly she tried to piece together the little tidbits of information she had gathered.

There was a woman. This house had the same scent as the woman. The house was the woman's. Okay, that explained where she was.

Now who was the woman? The woman...was sincere looking. The woman had slept on the floor next to Natsuki, from what she could see. Natsuki had bandages covering her body. Had the woman bandaged Natsuki? Was this...human taking care of her? Her first reaction was to doubt but she could find no other explanation.

Natsuki shifted her body and attempted to stand to get a better look of the room and the woman. Once on all fours, she was taller than the woman who was still sitting on the floor. The woman seemed concerned but did not make any attempt to stop Natsuki. A tiny waft of fear came to Natsuki's nose but it was gone as soon as it had come.

There was a bowl of dog food and water near and Natsuki stepped slowly towards it. She could still feel the pain move over her body but the sight of food and water drove her to keep moving. The woman stood hastily behind Natsuki. Natsuki turned and barked threateningly. She did not know what this human had planned but Natsuki was not about to take any risks. Surprisingly the woman crossed her arms and stared down at Natsuki.

"Don't you dare bark at me, Angel." Tired crimson eyes turned sharp with warning.

'Angel? Who the hell is Angel? Out of all the names in the world that dumb human could pick, she chose Angel. The fucking irony.'

Natsuki ignored her and continued to make her way to the food and water. Hastily she drank, nearly tipping the bowl over. The first lap of fresh water only registered how dehydrated she was.

"You don't seem to be limping. You're one tough puppy."

Natsuki glared as she ate, fuming at the term 'puppy'. The woman did not seem to be too bright, to say the least. It would be easy enough to escape her after Natsuki fully healed. Natsuki watched her carefully from the corner of her eye as she ate. The woman took a seat on the couch still looking a bit tired.

"The old man was right. What am I going to do with such a large puppy..."

'I'm not a puppy...!' Natsuki sent a glare in the woman's direction. Life was unpredictable and strange.

–

"FU-JI-NO! What the hell is that?"

"Haruka-chan, I think it's called a dog. You can correct me if I'm wrong."

Monday mornings were tedious enough with Haruka, as it was, but Shizuru was treated to an early dose of her temper. Shizuru walked into the office area with Angel leashed and close to her side. Haruka was the least of her worries and Shizuru felt a relieved sensation that she was able to get Natsuki from the car, through a small crowd, to her office, without any aggression. She had spent all of Sunday interacting with the injured dog trying to judge its temperament. Though the dog did not allow Shizuru to touch her again, it was very obedient. By the end of Sunday, Angel was no longer baring fangs, growling, or barking at Shizuru. Unless Angel was given a direct command she had ignored Shizuru completely. The true test was in the morning though and Angel had passed with flying colors. Shizuru knew she could never be too careful though and pondered on getting a muzzle for Angel. The pet supply stores were not opened to midmorning though.

"Did you get it at the dog fights, Shizuru?"

Shizuru nodded and motioned to the bandages around Angel's neck, shoulder, and hind leg. "She was the champion dog but was defeated by another dog in the ring. They were going to put her down."

"When did you get so sympathetic?"

"Was that completely wise? Isn't she dangerous?"

Yukino and Haruka spoke at the same time after a moment of silence. They both found it out-of-character for Shizuru to purchase a dog like this. Shizuru, after all, was more of a cat person.

"Ara, I'm not so sure why things turned out the way they did. Angel seems to be a very kind and obedient dog though. Her gentle nature shines from her eyes."

Angel snorted loudly. Haruka narrowed her eyes at her employer. "Why the hell did you bring it here?"

"I didn't have time to bring her to the apartment. Besides, I wanted to monitor her behavior and wounds a bit. I think the more I'm around her, the more she'll get used to me."

Yukino smiled and nodded. "Good choice. Later in the afternoon I'm going to pick up documents for a case I'm working on. If you need anything for Angel, I'll grab it for you."

Shizuru smiled handed a file to Yukino and with a mildly suggestive tone said, "Thank you, Yukino." She winked at the blushing woman, "Could I see you in my office for a bit?"

Haruka was already leaving to her own office but stopped and turned to glare at Shizuru. "Don't mess around. You have an appointment coming soon. Yukino, I need your help on one of my cases."

Shizuru smiled innocently as she went to her office with Angel. Yukino stammered, "It'll just be a moment Haruka. I'll help you after I get Shizuru's reports."

Haruka huffed and went to her office.

Shizuru unclipped Angel from her leash as she and Yukino entered her office. Angel padded over to a corner of the room to lie down. Yukino seemed fairly impressed with the calm attitude of the dog.

"The dog fights were very unpleasant," Shizuru said as she removed her jacket.

"I would imagine so. She must be very strong." Yukino looked over at the sleek dog.

"Yes. I'm still wary of her. I saw her rip her own owner to shreds. She seems like a completely different dog now. Maybe I can change her…It seems like she's had a rough past and is getting old. Took me ten thousand dollars but I don't regret a single penny."

"Money has never been a problem for your family. And if you could take Haruka off the streets, you can definitely help this dog, Shizuru. No one is as stubborn as Haruka."

They shared a mutual laugh. Yukino and Shizuru had attended the same middle school together but when they entered high school they met Haruka. Haruka was a gang-girl, a delinquent. It was Yukino who took after Haruka first, after the truant proved she was kinder than she let on. Yukino carried an appeal around her that stemmed from her intellect and innocence. Though she never had many admirers as Shizuru, she had her own pesky high school boys to deal with. One day, after school, Yukino found herself in a rough spot where she turned down an admirer. The boy was angry for being turned down and began to throw insults at Yukino. When she tried to leave to find Shizuru, the boy grabbed her. It was the last time he would grab anything for a few weeks. Haruka had been watching and snapped the guy's wrist in two and picked him up and threw him. It was the start of a slow and awkward relationship between Yukino and Haruka. Later Yukino confessed to Shizuru that she wanted nothing more than to see Haruka off the streets and out of danger. Shizuru was obligated to help her friend. Over the three years they went to high school together, Shizuru and Yukino grew closer to Haruka and pulled her out of a troublesome and dangerous life.

Yukino began to flip through the file Shizuru had given her and she spoke softly. "Haruka will probably be angry with you today. You forgot to call again. She gets worried when you don't report back in."

Shizuru sighed lightly. "I'm sorry. I'll try to remember next time. With Angel and the audio recording, I got a bit absent minded."

Yukino nodded. Shizuru sat at her desk and started up her computer, stealing glances at her new pet. Yukino seemed confused as she read the files and walked over to the desk. "Joseph Greer? Are you sure? Wasn't he the one...?"

"That worked with my parents, yes. They did not get everything they wanted seventeen years ago. Whatever my parents were working on was something not to be so easily dismissed after their death. Can you run Joseph Greer's alias? We need to find him."

"Leave it to me. By the way, I'm still running an analysis on the phone number the young woman gave you. It was a private cell phone but I found a name. It has led me to more names and more locations but I think I'm getting warm on a club of sorts."

"Thanks, Yukino. As soon as you get a couple solid leads, I'll go check it out. Now go help Haruka before she starts crying."

Yukino chided her and left with a smile. Haruka was so moody Monday mornings.

–

Natsuki laid herself on the pile of blankets Shizuru had placed on the carpet as a makeshift bed. The apartment was very much like the large house Natsuki had spent the weekend at. There was no clutter and each room was decorated minimally. The few pieces of decorative items were ancient painting replications and gave the bareness an elegant look. Natsuki had finished eating and Shizuru had long-ago retreated to her room to work on her cases. It surprised Natsuki that her temporary owner was a Private Investigator. The chestnut-haired woman was smarter than her first impressions led Natsuki to believe. The day had been far from dull. If anything, it was the most interesting day in very many years.

Throughout the day, Natsuki learned of the events that led her to be in the care of Shizuru. Shizuru was investigating a particular man that was a Kingpin of sorts in Tokyo. This person was also likely to be the one that killed the woman's parents. The dog fight itself was still a blur to Natsuki. She barely remembered the Tosa that had beaten her or the harsh treatment she had received at the hand of her owner. Michin, her previous owner, was a vile man but very strong. He did not fear dogs, not even those champions who had been trained to kill on command. The only dog he did fear was Natsuki. It was not easy to escape that man. The strongest metal pens kept Natsuki secluded from other dogs and the world. He knew he had a prized killer and guarded her like she was a diamond. Natsuki growled lowly to herself as she thought of the years with Michin.

Eventually her thoughts drifted to Shizuru and the dog snorted. She was torn between feeling grateful and angry with the woman. It was the first time in a very long while did any one reach out to help her. Yet Natsuki wanted to die. It would have ended all that she had to endure.

"You didn't want to die, Natsuki. You fear death. Even then you were scared."

Natsuki bared her fangs and rumbled deeply at the intruder of her thoughts. She crotched low and looked up at the Goddess.

Mai knelt down to Natsuki's level with a bright smile. "Nice to see you again, Natsuki."

"Mai, if you were flesh and bone, I'd give my humanity away to kill you," Natsuki snapped.

"Don't say such things after so many centuries. I kept you company through the coldest of nights." Mai winked and wagged her finger.

"You fucked up big time, Mai."

"You're still angry about that? It was a mistake...as a new Goddess," Mai said thoughtfully.

"Because of your _**mistake, **_I got turned into a dog! It's your fault that I've spent almost a thousand years like this because you couldn't control your powers."

Natsuki bit back a bark, not wanting Shizuru to come in and interrupt the meeting. It was all true. Mai had not intended to turn Natsuki into a wolf. Her initial spell was to guide Natsuki to find love but it backfired. Mai had been too inexperienced with such a spell that the outcome was totally unexpected. Mai, Mikoto, and Hiroto Okami, the Wolf God, had kept this information from Natsuki for three-hundred years before they told her. Natsuki had been livid.

"I'm suffering too you know. They restricted my Goddess powers until you break the curse. If you die without being it, my powers will be permanently revoked until the Council decides otherwise." Mai frowned.

Natsuki flashed a toothy grin. "Well that's some compensation at least. I should go get hit by a car tomorrow."

"And..." Mai took a deep breath, "I'm sorry I left you."

Natsuki turned her head away and her ears flattened. "Where the hell did you go anyways?"

"I was on trial for misuse of magic. Time flows different in Heaven than it does here. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. By time I had gotten back to Earth to give you the news, you had disconnected yourself spiritually."

"How else did you expect me to cope through years of not having human contact? Talk to the chipmunks?" Natsuki glared at her again. "I'm a wolf. People fear me."

"Don't worry. Kami shines favor upon you. We can't rectify the blessings given to you but we did add more," Mai said happily.

"You did WHAT?" Through the centuries, Natsuki had not learned to love but she did learn that the Divine made the worst decision ever.

* * *

**Notes:**

The shrine described in the dream/flashback/thing is the **Mistumine Shrine**. The only historical accuracy that the Shrine holds in this story is that it is a shrine to the Wolf God (more importantly to Japan's founders). It's in the mountains and it's a super beautiful place.

The legend told in the dream-flashback is of what happened to Natsuki from a mostly human point of view. It shows how legends may be very different from the truth and can be skewed as they pass through time. More will be written about Natsuki's time as a wolf as the story goes on but for the most part, you can take away the fact that Natsuki spent a lot of time near that Shrine.

**Author Notes:**

Oh my goodness! I'm soooo sorry for all of you that have been waiting. I know I have been good to update every other week but unfortunately it was not meant to be this last month. Between school and travellin' things got a bit hectic. So! I'll hopefully be updating more frequently xD

I missed you guys sooo much! I hope the background information wasn't too much for y'all.

Actually a big thing with this chapter is that it is shorter than I expected it to be. When I write, I do outlines for each chapter. I expected a lot more plot to actually go on in this chapter but there was so much background to write that it made the chapter so long! So anyways, more action will come in the next chapter. The whole Chie/Aoi subplot will be readdressed as well. :D Great new character appears next chapter as well! ANNNNNNNNNNND you can see what the Divine gave Natsuki as an extra blessing.

Thanks to my **BETA** and everyone else. Since I have to run and am still a very busy little girl, I can't reply to my reviewers individually right here. I'll probably send you guys a review reply when I get the chance. **Thank you all! Every review warms my heart and makes my day! **(If any of you are wondering what is up with TWOY and my blog, rest assured that I'm in the process of updating those this week as well!)

Please let me know what you thought of this!

Nimara


	4. Blessing in Disguise

**Notes: **Some of you may notice that Shizuru does not use Kyoto honorifics. This is purposefully done. While she still has a Kyoto accent, she uses the most common honorifics especially when dealing with her clients. She may slip in and out of Kyoto honorifics like –han and –chin when talking with someone she knows better or when talking to herself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations.

* * *

**The Greatest Gift**

**Chapter 5:** Blessing in Disguise

Nimara

* * *

"_How much of a human life is lost in waiting."_ -Ralph Waldo Emerson

* * *

"I don't want any more of your damn curses," Natsuki growled out.

"Blessings. Blessings, Natsuki-chan. But the bottom line is that for the last two centuries you had the power to turn into a human at will. The Council agrees that life has been and will continue to be increasingly difficult for you as an earth bound entity. As you probably have already figured out, the situation you are under-..."

Natsuki brought her heavy paw to the ground a couple of times trying to get Mai's attention, "Wait, wait, wait!"

Mai looked down at her sheepishly.

"I've been able to turn into a human?" The fur on Natsuki's back rose in a mixture of emotions.

Mai puffed her cheeks obviously annoyed at being interrupted. "I was getting to that. The Council said-..."

Natsuki's tail began to wag back and forth without her knowledge but she snapped at the Goddess, "I don't care what the Council said. Tell me more about changing!"

The restricted Goddess worked hard to keep her smile to herself. Her eyes followed Natsuki's tail thump back and forth on the floor. Maybe this new information would get her back in Natsuki's good graces. "There are two separate blessings. When I went to trial and the Council came to their decision, they gave you the blessing to change to a human at will, any time you wish. There is a catch though..."

"As fucking always," Natsuki snorted.

"...Every time you choose to change, it takes a bit of your longevity blessing."

"So in the end, if I turn enough times I'll be at the whim of nature just like any other cur." Natsuki growled and grimaced. The blessing of longevity was what kept her alive for so long.

"Well, the Council later realized that shifting with such consequences would probably do you more harm than good in the end. So, they bestowed you with another blessing!"

The wolf felt her stomach lurch at the word 'blessing'. Those in the spiritual realm were way too magic-happy for her tastes. "What happens to the other blessing?"

"It's still there though you probably should only use it only when you need to. There is a limit to how long you can stay in your human form as well. Eventually if you are in it long enough, you will begin to grow extremely tired. At that point, it's beneficial if you turn back to your wolf form otherwise you exponentially lose more longevity."

"Peachy..."

"I think it's a good blessing to have for emergencies sake. Besides because it was a gift tailored to my original blessing, it cannot be taken away without my blessing being dissolved first."

Natsuki stretched her body out and looked at her paws and wondered what her hands looked like. What would her voice sound like? Would she look the same? Mai continued on to explain the second blessing speaking slow enough so Natsuki could take all the important details in.

"The second gift is a simple transformation for twenty-four hours roughly every two weeks. Simply said, you can turn into a human without consequence on the new moon and full moon. From sunset on those days to the sunset after you can change back and forth at your leisure."

Natsuki grunted and rolled onto her backside with a huff. How her world had changed…

"Natsuki?"

"Hm."

"What are you thinking?" Mai let her hand run softly over Natsuki's stomach fur. Natsuki's foot twitched a couple of times. Mai knew the young woman had retreated far into her mind thinking of all the possibilities that now lay before her. For now the limited-power Goddess would wait quietly by Natsuki's side to answer questions she knew would come.

"When's the next new moon or full moon?"

"In two nights there is a full moon."

"Ah." Nothing was silent for a very long time after that.

Shizuru snapped on the leash to Angel's new white collar just as there was a knock on her office door. Her morning appointment had come. Though Angel had not shown any acts of violence in the time she had been with Shizuru, it was better to be safe than sorry when clients came. Shizuru found Angel an anomaly and sometimes wondered if this was the same dog she saw fight in Chiba. Shizuru looked down at Angel who lay calmly on pet cushion. The cushion barely contained the full length of the large dog's body. She swore her dog looked up at her with a gaze of resentment.

"Sit. Stay," Shizuru said. The commands seemed a bit redundant with such a well behaving dog but Haruka said Shizuru should reinforce dominance and training over Angel.

The knock came again, a bit louder this time.

"You may enter," she called out and stood in front of her desk. Slowly the door opened and a woman in her late thirties walked in. Her short hair was fashioned in soft curls that framed her haggard looking face. The first thing Shizuru noticed was how tired looking the woman was. Her clients were usually in some sort of distress or another but this woman looked as if she had not slept in days. Even the tidy and casual-formal outfit could not distract Shizuru from seeing that the woman was worn to the bone. In her hands she carried a closed shoe box. She had some knowledge of why the woman had come to see her but she started off with her standard questions.

"Aruhara-san, I presume? It is nice to meet you." The two women met each other at the center of the room and Shizuru took the woman's outstretched hand in both of her own. The woman smiled but it was noticeably forced.

"Investigator Fujino-san, thank you for seeing me on such short notice." Shizuru guided the woman to the chair and went to the other side of her desk and sat down.

"Think nothing of it. Things tend to happen on short notice here. What may I assist you with, Aruhara-san? I have a police report stating that…-"

"My son. He's been kidnapped." Her voice ground as she tried to hold in her tears.

"Can you tell me a little bit about your son, Aruhara-san? Perhaps you even have a picture?"

The woman shifted in her seat and opened the small shoebox she carried. Inside were documents and a small stuffed animal, from what Shizuru could see. The mother pulled out two photos and placed them forth on Shizuru's desk. In both photos was a brightly beaming young boy around the age of eight in his school outfit. His dark hair curled into small ringlets like his mother but his eyes and face showed little resemblance.

In the corner of the room, Angel remained quiet but had pulled her pointy ears flat against her head with her paws. The woman's voice was a bit piercing when she began to wail and talk. Shizuru commented on how lovely the boy look and pushed forward a box of tissues.

"His name is Hinto. He's eight and a half and his favorite color is green. He goes to Taifon Elementary," she hiccupped. "He has asthma and likes to play baseball…"

The woman went on and Shizuru wore a sympathetic smile on her face. She had dealt with missing children before but never anyone quite so young. Usually parents that came in to see her though acted like this. It seemed to comfort the parent by letting them name off every fact they could about their precious child in hopes that it would help lead to a quick recovery. Shizuru jotted down little bits of facts about the boy even though she was sure none of them would come in handy.

"…and then he went missing two days ago. I always let him walk home with his friends from school. It's only a few blocks and the boys stick together really well and there are always such nice neighbors on the way and the streets don't have many cars on them _and_ _then he went missing_!" She cried into her tissue again, a small pile of them began to amass on Shizuru's desk. She was not done speaking though.

"Jobi and Yuki said they walked with him all the way to the end of street, just a few houses away from ours like they always do. They thought he got home! I get home about an hour later from work and go to the front door to find it still locked. You see, H-Hinto has a key to the house to get in but he always forgets to lock the door when he comes home. I thought maybe this one time he remembered but he w-wasn't inside. His shoes weren't there or his b-backpack. I always leave an ap-p-ple in the fridge for him because he loves to snack on apples when he gets home but it was untouched. He wasn't anywhere in the house! I called Jobi and Yuki's parents but they said they hadn't seen him and then I went down…-"

It was Shizuru's turn to politely interrupt. "Your son seems like an obedient and caring son who wouldn't just wander off on his own. Do you have any idea of someone who might have taken him?"

The woman let out a flustered sigh and nodded, "Of course. I know who took him!"

Shizuru's blinked back her surprise and listened carefully. "Who might that be?"

"My husband. Ex-husband. We got a divorce about a year back."

"Can you tell me about your husband?" Shizuru's pen was poised to write fast enough to keep up with the woman's quick talk.

"His name is Anami Kaito. He's thirty four and comes from Hokkaido. He worked for Sei-Tech corps as a Finance Division manager. You can find his file with the police," she frowned. "W-we got divorced a year ago when I found out he was doing side dealings with some sort of illegal organization. It wasn't linked to his work so when he started taking business trips I got suspicious. At first I thought he was c-cheating on me but then when I confronted him about it he told me he got laid off work due to the economy turndown and had been crunching numbers for this other group. I wasn't going to have any of it. To walk alongside the path of evil is to be at its whim. I wasn't going to risk Hinto's life if things went wrong. I filed for a divorce and he went through with it and I haven't seen him for at least seven months now."

Shizuru understood the underground dealings of organizations such as gangs and mafias. When the economy had taken another down turn in the last couple of years, organized crime had skyrocketed. Numbers had increased dramatically and so did their efficiency. Intelligent people that had worked in high paying jobs, but got laid off, struggled to find even the smallest positions to support their family. Organized crime had come through and picked out many of the intelligent and diligent individuals and sometimes doubled their previous pay. In bad times, even morally-directed men and women who need to support their households turned to the black districts.

If Anami Kaito had a police record, as his ex-wife stated, he must have already been caught in shady dealings. "So how do you suspect that it was your husband who took your son?"

"Last week something happened and a man was killed and another almost fatally injured. The living man had been able to link their attacker as my husband. There has been a warrant out for Kaito's arrest since then and the police came to check my place as well. They wouldn't give me any details since it may have endangered our lives but you must imagine my disbelief when I heard that Kaito was a murderer! Kaito…it never seemed like a possibility."

"And so…your husband took your son?" Shizuru could not directly draw the dots between what happened with her husband and her son gone missing. Of course it was possible but the mother had seemed so sure that it was directly connected. It did not seem as directly connected as Shizuru hoped.

The mother gave a somewhat miffed expression not understanding why Shizuru had asked that question. It seemed perfectly clear to her, so why wasn't it clear to the investigator?

"He's going to sell my son to clear his debts!" The mother began to wail again and Shizuru could faintly hear Angel whine from the noise. Shizuru sighed as the woman tore through the box of tissues to consol herself. Undoubtedly the woman's grief at her son gone missing had dealt a tragic blow to her logic. Just as Shizuru had presumed, there was no clear connection between the father and the son in this situation but the father would be the main suspect regardless.

"I understand now," Shizuru said getting up and going to the woman's side. She placed her hands on the woman's arm. "Your case is a top priority for me. We will get your son back home safely, okay Aruhara-san? Please just go home and get some rest. If you think of anything else just call my office."

A mother's need to protect her child ran deep, as Shizuru knew all too well. There was a legitimate reason to be concerned as well when it came to a missing child. Under any circumstances if the child is not retrieved within one week, the chances of seeing the child again would drastically be reduced. The mother placed the shoe box on Shizuru's desk and wiped her tears again, "These are some of his photos and belongings. He absolutely loves baseball…"

Shizuru rose from her desk and over to the woman's side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Aruhara-san. Please go rest and if you have any more details to share with me, then feel free to call me."

The woman stood and the bowed to each other. Shizuru guided her to the door where Yukino escorted the woman out of the small office. Once gone, Yukino turned and offered Shizuru a sympathetic smile as she adjusted her glasses, "Tough week, Shizuru?"

"Difficult," Shizuru replied with a small smile as she leaned against the door way of her office.

"I've completed the Shito case so feel free to use me as you wish."

Unable to contain herself, Shizuru took three steps towards Yukino and placed her hand on the petite woman's cheek. With a smirk, barely containing her ill intentioned smile, she looked into those large chocolate eyes, "I could find a good use for you, Yukino-chan."

Yukino overcame her shock quickly, being used to Shizuru's teasing. The small freckles on her cheek reddened in a mix of frustration and embarrassment for her poorly spoken words. Shizuru's smirk turned into a smile as she began to laugh and back away. Moments like these helped Shizuru relax so she could deal with the importance of her cases.

"You're horrible, Shizuru!" Yukino grabbed a purple stress ball from the reception desk and chucked it at her friend's retreating back. The styrofoam ball bounced harmlessly off of Shizuru as she continued to laugh.

[Next day]

Natsuki padded through the short hall of the office area, following her nose to a heavenly scent. Shizuru had occupied herself with paperwork and did not notice her large dog slip out of the room. Earlier that morning, Shizuru had leashed Natsuki and dragged her to the vet for a checkup. Being poked and prodded by stranger's hands was definitely not Natsuki's idea of a good morning. The wounds that she had incurred from her last battle were healing at a rapid pace but the large rip on her neck still needed to be tended to. The vet though suspicious of Natsuki's wounds was too charmed by Shizuru to point anything out. Like Natsuki figured, the vet said she was in fine health and gave Natsuki a new round of immunizations. Shizuru, so surprised and pleased with 'her Angel's' non aggressive, almost apathetic, attitude towards the vet, awarded Natsuki with a healthy chunk of chicken.

That was hours ago, though, and Natsuki was hungry again. She sniffed around the rooms until she found the one where the scent was coming from. It came from that crazy bull-headed lady that worked with Shizuru. Natsuki stood at the open door, looking at a pile of food on the woman's desk. Haruka took quick notice of her and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want, tea dog?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and walked on over to sit at Haruka's side. She flattened her ears against her head and looked up at the woman with ridiculously large breasts. After so many centuries, Natsuki was not below begging for food especially food that smelled this delicious. Up close, it amazed Natsuki how large Haruka's meal was. Then again the woman was quite athletic and it would take many calories to sustain a chest that large. Natsuki rumbled softly then let out a small woof aiming for getting a piece of that meat loaded sandwich Haruka held.

Haruka glared her down and took a bite of her sandwich. Barely even chewing, she swallowed. "I can't even imagine you in a dog ring. Look at you, so docile with your _bearing_ eyes. No wonder you got beat up."

Haruka pulled a small piece of ham from her sandwich and tossed it to Natsuki. "Now listen here, dog, if you're going to stick with us you gotta be an asset to the team."

She handed off a slice of cheese from her sandwich and began to talk more animatedly. "You're a big dog! You got those teeth so you better use them when the time comes! Don't be going all soft just because that _woman_ is spoiling you."

Haruka bit down on her sandwich again and looked critically at Natsuki. Natsuki amused with Haruka, waited patiently for more food. "You gotta take care of the bubuzuke, hear me? I will not accept failure, tea dog. Batting her eyes won't save her all the time."

Natsuki barked in reply and Haruka seemed pleased with the response and threw the last quarter of her sandwich over. Natsuki downed it merrily, interested to see that Haruka cared for Shizuru. Shizuru seemed like the type of person to stick her neck out for anyone, so it was not much of a surprise.

"That woman is probably feeding you tea. You're too skinny," Haruka mumbled and looked through the food on her desk.

'I'm not too skinny. You just like me,' Natsuki thought to herself with a wolfish smile. Haruka grabbed a chip bag and opened it. The most amazing smell in the world hit Natsuki. On the bag read 'Mayo Crisps' in bold pink letters. Haruka placed a handful of chips on a paper on the ground in front of Natsuki.

'I think you and I are on to the start of a wonderful relationship, Haruka.'

Natsuki spent the rest of her day resting near Shizuru, taking in how comfortable she was for the first time in years. Shizuru, she noticed, was a borderline workaholic but then again the investigator worked with people's lives on her hands. Despite the importance and urgency in her cases, she never exuded fear or anxiety. She was calm and even content to work through her day in such a manner. From what Natsuki gathered, the agency was quite well known and their work was done with amazing efficiency. It was surprising with only three individuals and all of them relatively calm and collected.

Natsuki watched Shizuru from her corner of the room. She was beautiful, no doubt, and she enjoyed watching the woman tuck wayward strands of hair behind her ear or tap her pencil thoughtfully. It had been a long time since Natsuki had paid this much attention to an individual. In the end, it only reminded her how _human_ Shizuru was. Natsuki had been thinking a lot about what Mai had said. Today was the night of the full moon and Natsuki was more than eager to feel her human form when the sun fell. She had a feeling though that she would never get enough time to herself to change. Changing after Shizuru went to bed would probably be the best course to take.

Natsuki wrinkled her nose as the tangy smell of fear wafted by. She stood up, catching Shizuru's attention and inhaled sharply. Something was wrong and it was coming from the small woman with glasses. She looked up at Shizuru, who looked questioningly back but in seconds, the door to her office opened. Yukino came in, looking only slightly agitated but reeking of anxiety and distress. Natsuki looked the small woman over for any wounds but found none from where she stood.

"Shizuru, we have a problem. I received a call from Tokigawa High School saying that Chie Harada did not come to school today or yesterday. She did not call in sick and no one is picking up her home phone. Shizuru, I think she…"

"Dammit," Shizuru frowned and got up. Natsuki's ear twitched at the small curse that fell uncharacteristically from Shizuru's lips. She began to smell of agitation as well. They feared for the wellbeing of this Chie Harada. Natsuki had learned about the case of the missing high schoolers but it was one that had very little progress being made. It was difficult to track adult women who had 'willingly' disappeared.

Yukino held a few papers in her hand, "I had Tokigawa High School update me on Chie Harada's attendance because I felt that she would go and do something like this. But Shizuru, I don't have an exact location yet on where she might be going. The number you gave me was a mobile phone and I've been slowly piecing connections with it. It's a shot in the dark of where she could be at."

Shizuru walked over to Yukino and took the papers that were handed to her. She sighed heavily as she looked them over. "In your opinion, Yukino, do you have any idea where she may be?"

Yukino adjusted her glasses and pointed somewhere on the sheet of paper, "My best guess would be this facility at the Tokyo Bay waterfront. It's a very high-class and very exclusive club for foreigners coming to Japan. It's right up against the more civil parts of the Red Butterfly District and next to the largest harbor for foreign and vacationing yachts. The cellphone number has been traced to this particular building several times. It's a long shot…"

"I'm going in. Tonight. Tell Haruka," Shizuru went to her desk and grabbed her coat. Natsuki followed her around trying to get a good idea what she was going to do.

"Tell me what?" Haruka stomped in, putting a hand on Yukino's shoulder.

"Shizuru's going to attempt to retrieve Chie Harada," Yukino said with a frown. She took out her palm pilot from her skirt pocket and began to search through it.

"I'm going to also bring back Aoi Senou if I can. If Chie Harada has truly gone to seek her out then I very well may find her and the other missing girls."

Haruka opened and closed her mouth several times before fuming visibly. "You're going to go in by yourself? Right now? Where is this place? Did we even scope it out yet? You're being stupid again, aren't you?"

Shizuru dug through her drawers hurriedly as she spoke, "My dear Haruka, Harada-san has been missing for possibly forty-eight hours. Given the situation, and the case, I believe we may not be able to retrieve her if we waste any more time. Not one of these girls has come back. I will pose as a foreigner and look into the club. In the meantime, I would like it if you waited for me to signal you. If they indeed have the girls, you can bring in the proper authorities for backup."

Natsuki saw numerous passports spread across Shizuru's desk. She grabbed one of them and stuffed it into her coat. Natsuki did not like where this was going. Sure, Shizuru seemed to be making sense but the whole ordeal had a high chance of failure. Shizuru was now calm, and Natsuki could no longer smell any negative feelings from her…or the other two. Whatever fear they had felt had slowly faded away. Perhaps they just had that much faith in this woman…Shizuru?

Shizuru grabbed her briefcase and walked out of her office with Natsuki, Haruka, and Yukino behind her. Yukino quickly ran a few more facts by Shizuru and wrote more information on the piece of paper for her. Finally, Shizuru reached the front door, her face deadpan. Natsuki looked up into her burning crimson eyes and let out a huff of amusement. To Natsuki, Shizuru looked like she was ready to raise hell twice over.

"Keep Angel with you until I get back?" She gently pushed Natsuki to Yukino but Natsuki would have none of it.

She went back to Shizuru's side with a small growl and pushed up against Shizuru's legs. Like hell she was leaving this woman to go into a potentially dangerous situation by herself. If she was not going to bring in the bull-headed woman, she was going to bring Natsuki.

"Angel, sit!" Shizuru said firmly. Natsuki refused to sit and pushed herself against Shizuru again. Stupid woman should figure out that the dog wanted to go with her.

Haruka folded her arms in front of her chest. "Take the dog, Shizuru."

'See the big-breasted woman knows what she's talkin about,' huffed Natsuki.

Shizuru met Haruka's gaze and knew she was not going to win this battle. There was no time to waste. Natsuki heard her mumble about how she was going to keep the dog in the car anyways but that was good enough for Natsuki. Sunset was coming quickly and Natsuki was the best support the investigator-woman was going to get. Without any goodbyes, Shizuru left the office with Natsuki in tow.

That is when the wolf learned that this group of coworkers…no, friends never said goodbye.

* * *

**A/N:** If this chapter seems a little choppy, I apologize. It's hard for me to go from detail; small plot oriented Three Wishes Or You to this massive action, generalized story. I struggle with switching mind frames and this being my first really action-y story. I'm trying to find the balance between detail, characterization, plot, and sub plots! I really do love this story though and if you can bear with me, I'll work hard to make it flow more smoothly. I think after the base characterization is done and relationships are set, the story will go more easily. Expect a good dose of action next chapter! I'm excited to write it.

Between the action, you're going to get a bunch of ShizNat coming your way. ;D Just wait. I'm super excited about next chapter and I hope you are too! Thank you for everyone who reviewed last time. Man, I love you guys and your ideas and enthusiasm for this piece is great. Though I may update this more slowly, I'm not going to ever drop it. It's a favorite of mine. TWoY has a bit more priority now though since it's shorter than TGG. I may cut down the length of these chapters in order to get them out in a more constant fashion. We'll see!

As always, thank you for your criticism and support. Please continue to do so! Been safe this upcoming Holiday and study hard!

-Nimara


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